Second Chance
by Riverbkstar
Summary: Ricky and Amy gave up John for adoption 15 years ago. They have been dating for the past two years and are recently engaged. When an accident changes them forever, John is brought back into their lives. *Complete*
1. Teaser

New Story brought to you by Riverbkstar.

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><p><em>If life gave you a second chance at happiness, what would you do?<em>

_See the incredible story of Ricky, Amy and John like you've never seen before. As your favourite couple contemplates with a decision made years past. Can they climb over the past to start saving their future? Would you put it all on the line for a second chance?_

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><p>Below is an actual written trailer of the story. Picture it as a little you tube video. The scenes skip quickly as they would in an actual video. The plot makes no sense on any means but gives you some little insight into what the story is going to be about. Please note, spoilers are not included and there is a lot more to the plot than I let on.<p>

Trailer:

(Ricky and Amy in fancy restaurant. Amy is in a black dress, Ricky in grey tux. He is down on one knee.)

Ricky: Amy

(Screen goes black) (Flashes back into scene)

I know that we have been through a lot together. I love you so much and admire your strength and commitment to everything we have dealt with in the past 15 years. So I ask you tonight, Amy Jeurgens. My girlfriend of two years. Will you marry me?

Amy: Of course Richard. I love you!

(They kiss)

(Scene flips)

Ricky answers the door cautiously. Who could be knocking this early in the morning? Ricky recognizes the figure standing huddled on his porch. It's Michelle, the social worker who had helped them with John's adoption. Ricky opens the door.

(Screen goes back.) (Flashes back in)

Ricky: Michelle?

(Screen goes black) (Flashes back in)

Michelle: Richard… There's been an accident. It involves John."

(Scene flips)

(Amy, Ricky and Michelle in dark blue hallway.)

Amy: I want to see my son!

Michelle: Before you do, there is something you should know.

(How to save a life by the fray begins to play – )

(Between the lines of fear and blame, you begin to wonder why you came)

(Scene flips)

(Soft music plays)

Ricky and John and Amy in hallway of their house.

Ricky: So this is our house and we made up a room for you upstairs, just make yourself at home.

(John nods his head. and removes the ear buds in his ear, starting up the staircase.)

Font:

_If your world came crashing down, would you have the strength to pick up the pieces? _

_What would you do if you were given a …_

Amy: We gave up the best thing we could have ever had! How can we expect him to forget that?

Ricky: I'm not asking him to! I just want a second chance, to make amends with my son!

Amy: It hurts too much to watch him suffer

Ricky. You think it's easy for him? He will forever be different and the best we can do is stand by him.

(Scene flips)

(John and Amy in John's room. Looking through photo album)

Amy: Do you blame yourself?

John nods his head

Amy: It wasn't your fault.

John starts to sob

Amy grabs John's hand. He cries into his mother's arms.

(Keep holding on from avril lavigne starts to play)

(Keep holding on, because your going to make it through, make it through)

Narration in Ricky's voice

John, times may be tough and I'm sorry I wasn't there before. But I'm here now and I will always. L-O-V-E Y-O-U.

Font:

**SECOND CHANCE.**

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><p><strong>Trailer will be removed on... (Date yet to be released)<strong>


	2. The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Richard pulled the black Sedan to the side of the road. He stopped the car next to the icy curb in front of a fancy restaurant with a red awning. Richard buttoned up his black winter trench coat, tucking in his long black scarf. He flashed a smile to the woman in the seat next to him as he pulled on his leather gloves and stepped out of the car. An instant chill hit him as small snow flurries began to fall over the New York Street. Richard ran around the backside of the car and opened the door for his date. She too wore a long black coat and crossed her arms in conservation for warmth as she stepped out of the vehicle. Richard tossed a valley his keys and led his date inside.

A man in a dark suit stood behind a reservation podium, welcoming guests into the restaurant. Richard walked up to the greeter, holding his date's hand.

"Good evening sir" The greeter bellowed " Do you have a reservation?"

"Hello, and yes. I reserved a table for two. Under Richard Underwood "

" Mr. Underwood. We've been expecting your presence. Right this way sir. "

The man led Richard and his date to a private table in the back. Richard took off his gloves and gently tucked them into his front pocket. Richard stood behind his date and helped her remove her coat revealing a short black strapless dress. The sight of the woman took Richard's breath away. He hung her jacket on the back of her chair and pulled the chair away from the table offering his date a seat. He then took his own seat across from her and removed his coat. Richard flattened out the wrinkles of his grey suit and motioned for a waiter's attention.

Their waiter left them alone to order as he fetched a bottle of red wine.

"Do you have any idea of what you'd like to order, sweetheart?" Richard asked politely

"Well, the last time we were here I had that steak with the soup. It was delicious but tonight the house salad seems interesting." His date replied

"You can have the house salad and anything else you'd like"

Just then the waiter returned with a bottle of his finest red vine and poured some into both glasses on the table.

"Do you have any idea of what you would like to order Mr. Underwood?" their waiter asked cheerfully

"My girlfriend does, but I am still deciding" Richard answered

The waiter turned his attention towards the female guest at his table and took out a pen and paper.

"I think I'll have the house salad and veil"

"Excellent choice Madame. And for you sir?"

"Ill have the same. Thank you."

"Tres Bien. Merci" The waiter said as he gathered the menus and left the two alone.

Richard leaned for his girlfriend's hand and gave her a sweet smile.

"Shall we try the wine?" Richard asked handing a glass to his date. They clinked their glasses together and each took a sip. His date placed her glass back on the table.

"Richard, If you don't mind, I'm going to the bathroom before our meal arrives."

"No, not at all." Richard assured as he got up out of his seat and politely stood as she left the table. Before he sat back down, he reached his hand into the inside pocket of his suit and felt around for a small felt box. He held it's presence and a small smile appeared on his face. When his date returned, he helped her back into her seat just as their meals arrived.

"Darling, before we start eating. I have something to ask you." Richard said slowly as he kneeled down in front of his date. "I know that we have been through a lot in the past. From that moment 15 years ago, when you gave birth to our son, I didn't know I could be any more in love." Richard began forming tears in his eyes and forced himself to look up at his girlfriend who too had started crying " And when we gave him up for adoption, seeing you bidding him a goodbye was the hardest thing I ever had to do. You have helped me through so much. You're my rock, my soul mate. I love you so much. I know we weren't always the best of friends or even the best of lovers, but I promise to be your forever and always as long as I live. So I ask you tonight, my girlfriend of two years. Amy Jeurgens, will you marry me?"

Amy tried to wipe the tears away from her eyes as she absorbed the words from her gorgeous boyfriend. She watched him pull a box from the inside of his jacket and burst into more tears when he pulled out an amazing diamond ring.

"Yes, Yes. Richard!" Amy repeated between sniffles "I'll Marry You!"

Richard slipped the ring onto Amy's finger. He shot up to her level and passionately kissed her. She wrapped his arms around him and cried into his shoulders.

"I love you Ricky" Amy whispered into her fiancé's ear.

Richard only let family call him Ricky. To everyone else, he was a professional and not some child from a broken home. When Amy was pregnant, Ricky and her weren't a couple. They had conceived at a camp for musicians and felt that the best decision was to give their baby up for adoption. Ricky and Amy had searched through multiple couples who were fit parents, along with the help of their social worker Michelle. They finally landed on a couple in their mid thirties who couldn't conceive children of their own. This couple lived in New Jersey so an open adoption wasn't an option. Amy was okay with this. The parent's names were Cheyenne and Alexander. Amy gave birth to a healthy son on the cold early morning of February fifth. Due to the distance, Chey and Alex were a few hours late because the baby had born three weeks early. Ricky and Amy had decided on the name Jonathan. John for short. When John was taken away, off on a new adventure with a new family, Amy cried for days. She didn't want to say goodbye but knew she had to.

Having to give up his son changed Ricky forever. He and Amy both improved their grades and were accepted into New York schools. Amy into Juilliard, playing the French Horn and Ricky into NYU for Law. They moved into a small apartment just as friends. Two years ago, they had moved into New Jersey as a couple and bought a small three-bedroom house. Now Ricky was making a lot of money as a lawyer in a small yet powerful firm and Amy was apart of the New York Philharmonic. Her dream since she was 12. The last Amy and Ricky had heard about John was that him and his family had moved to Buffalo.

Amy and Ricky returned to their dinner. Once finished, Ricky paid and went outside for the car. He had forgotten how cold it was and quickly pulled on his gloves. Just as the valley pulled up, handing the car keys to Ricky, an ambulance sped by driving as fast as could be. Ricky opened the side door for Amy and she stepped into the warm car. Richard pulled into the line of traffic, turning right at the closest intersection. He was anxious to get home.

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><p>Meanwhile … John sat in the back of the car with his parents. He wasn't in a good mood. John had made the basketball team at school but his practices were the same nights as his band rehearsals. His parents had wanted him to quit the band so he could play sports. John was the drummer in an all boys band he had created with his best friends. John was a fantastic drummer. He figured he didn't coincidently gain the talent from either one of his parents. They both hated his music. Both of his parents were classical fans. John didn't know what classical sounded like but he felt it when the volume was up just right. He knew he didn't like it. John assumed he got his musical talent from his birth parents. He didn't know much about them other than they were his age when they had him and that they just weren't ready to be parents. He had only seen one photo and never got any sort of birthday gift, mainly because they had agreed to a closed adoption.<p>

John's mother waving her hands at him snapped him out of his daydream. She started signing in a rampage. John was too tired to pay attention and signed back at her, ordering her to be quiet. His father was in the front seat and both parents turned their heads with disapproving gazes splattered across their faces. Suddenly John saw it all too quickly. A red car swerving in-between lanes on the wrong side of the road. The car's headlights blinded John just before feeling an airbag blow up in his face. Everything went dark.

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><p>Ricky pulled into the dark driveway and shut off the car's engine. Him and Amy starred at each other in a dark silence. Ricky very slowly pulled off his glove and reached his hand over to Amy's thigh. He ran his hand up her leg. She put her hand over his and pushed his hand under the lining of the dress. His breathing quickened and Amy broke the silence.<p>

"Ricky… We should go inside"

Ricky nodded his head and quickly got out of the car, running through the cold towards the front door. Once inside, Ricky threw off his jacket and locked the door. Amy did the same. The two starred at each other, breathing heavily.

"I want you" Ricky mumbled under his breath

"Take me"

Ricky threw himself towards Amy. He turned her around, gripping her shoulders and gently forced her back into the door. He nuzzled his face in her chest as she threw her arms over her head.

"Upstairs" Amy whispered

Ricky ran his hands down her legs and hooked them at the back of her knee. She jumped onto him and wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her up by her back. The two feverishly made out as Ricky made his way up the stairs. Ricky crashed his back into the door of their dark master bedroom. He laid Amy on top of the bed and sucked her lower lip and he pushed his hands up under the lining of her dress. Amy ripped off Ricky's tie from beneath him and unbuttoned his shirt. He undid his pants and pulled a condom from out of his nightstand. Ricky slipped it on and plunged into Amy. She gasped as he pressed himself into her. They moved in unison with one another, physically proving their love.

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><p>The next morning, Amy laid in Ricky's arms while they sat quietly in bed. She admired the ring on her finger. She had worn it all through the night. It was the perfect fit and absolutely stunning.<p>

"I'm glad you like it " Ricky whispered

"It's perfect. Just like you" Amy whispered back, kissing Ricky on the lips.

"I'm hungry, are you? I can make breakfast. It's Saturday"

"Mmm. Food sounds amazing" Amy moaned seductively "Last night was exhausting"

"Ha-ha. Want to go again?"

"Maybe after we eat"

Ricky pulled on his robe, and tiredly made his way downstairs. He started the coffee and pulled out a frying pan from under the sink. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door.

"Ricky!" Amy called making her way downstairs "Is that the door?"

"I think so. Stay back" Ricky whispered

He tied his robe and carefully peeked through the curtains. A blue car he didn't recognize was parked in the driveway. Ricky made his way towards the door and opened it slowly. Who could be knocking this early in the morning?

Ricky recognized the figure huddled in the cold standing on his porch. She had aged since the last time he had seen her 15 years ago. It was Michelle. The social worker who helped them with John's adoption.

"Michelle…?" Ricky asked bewildered

"Hello Richard. I don't know how to say this… There's been an accident and it involves John"


	3. So Beautiful

"_Keep breathing Amy!" Ricky encouraged. He sat on a chair next to Amy's hospital bed. She was stricken with labor pains, tossing and turning with tears rolling down her face._

"_Ricky… Make it stop. Ughh!" Amy cried. She reached her hand out and grabbed a hold of the railing on the side of her bed._

"_Okay Amy, one more push. Then you get to see your son!" Amy's doctor ordered over Amy's cried. _

"_No! I can't." _

"_Please Amy. You can do it. Please" Ricky cried. He threw his hands up to his hair that was drenched in sweat. Ricky was dressed in green hospital scrubs and was set to help with the birth. He wasn't sure if he could handle the next few minutes. They had being doing this for almost thirty-six hours._

_Amy nodded her head and wiped away her tears but they kept coming. Another contraction hit her harder than before and she cried out in pain. Ricky grabbed her right hand. He pulled her right leg back and leaned into the bed. _

"_Ready?" Ricky asked anxiously_

"_Okay Amy, Here we go. 1… 2… Good! Keep pushing!" The doctor yelled. A nurse stood next to him with a blue scrub sheet. Another was next to Amy, holding back her other leg. Amy held in her breath and curled her chin into her chest as she pushed. Tears continued to flow. Ricky coaxed her with a mumbled whisper. He personally counted to her along with the doctor._

"_4_

_5_

_6"_

_Suddenly Amy shot her head up into the doctor's direction. Ricky's eyes brimmed with tears as he heard his son's first scream. The nurse welcomed him over to cut the cord. The doctor placed the screaming baby on top of Amy's stomach as he sucked out the phlegm from the little one's airways._

"_Ricky!" Amy cried, " Look at him!"_

_Ricky starred in awe at his newborn child. "He's perfect" Ricky whispered " Just like you" He leaned into Amy and they kissed for the first time since Band Camp._

"_He is so beautiful" Amy exclaimed as she wrapped her son in a blanket._

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><p>Ricky felt his knees give way. John, his son, in an accident? Wait… Michelle didn't say that. Did she? He clung to the frame of their wooden upholstered door. He shook his head for clarification. Trying to make it all make sense.<p>

"Umm…" Ricky stuttered "Come- Come in" He opened the door wider as Michelle stepped in from the cold. She shook the November snow flurry's out of her hair and stomped her feet on the carpet in the front hall.

"Amyyyyy!" Ricky shouted

"Ricky! Who was at the door?" Amy asked in a raised voice as she made her way downstairs while untying her ponytail. When her gaze met Michelle, she stopped mid-step. She felt her heart lunge into her throat.

"M-M-Michelle?" Amy stuttered "Wh-what are y-you d-doing here?"

"Umm… Amy." Ricky coughed as if trying to push out the words "Let's go sit down"

The three made their way into the living room. Amy sat next to Ricky and held his hand. Michelle sat across from them with a folder on her lap.

"Tell me. What happened? Why are you here?" Amy rambled

"Well," Michelle began slowly "It appears that last night, your son John and his parents, Cheyenne and Alexander Lewman were in a car accident just about 15 minutes from here."

"OH GOD!" Amy yelped "Was John hurt, he's okay isn't he? Please say he's okay"

"Yes, miraculously he walked away without a scratch. Sadly, Cheyenne and Alexander... were killed instantly."

"Poor John.." Ricky mumbled as he felt Amy reach into his chest and sob. "They were good people, I don't know what we would have done if it wasn't for them. Fuck!"

Ricky backed away from Amy and stood up. He began to pace in front of their fireplace and leaned against the mantle.

"So what happens now? Who does he get shipped to? I'm not letting him go into foster care." Ricky stammered

"No, we wouldn't dream of it. Both Cheyenne and Alexander had no other family as each had their parents died young. Did they ever try contacting you two after they took John home about who would care for him in the event they would both die?" Michelle questioned

"No" Amy mumbled between deep breaths "They didn't. Do they have someone lined up?"

"Yes actually. It seems they chose you two."

"Us, you mean the birth parents. Is that even legal?" Ricky asked as he began to loose his cool.

"As long as they wrote you into the will, then yes. When I spoke to their lawyer earlier this morning, he said they felt John would be better off with you guys then some stranger or distant relative because technically you are his family. " Michelle stated

"Well we have to at least consider it right Richard?" Amy asked, "We can't just let him go off with people he has no relation to."

"We need to think about it. But what I'm wondering is, why weren't we told about this?" Ricky asked angrily

Michelle answered calmly "It was a closed adoption and they were advised not to contact you unless in the state of a health emergency once the final papers were signed. All John knows is that he is adopted but he doesn't know who you are, or what your circumstances were fifteen years ago. Or that you live not twenty minutes away from eachother."

"Wait! No. That's not right. John moved away with Chey and Alex to Buffalo. That was the last thing we heard." Amy stated confusingly

"It seems they moved back into New Jersey two years ago for a special school for John. He started grade nine here, in New Jersey. They live in a semi-detached house near the highway. The bank is selling the house and the money is being put into John's bank account par Alex's request. "

"And no one thought to tell us? We must have seen him around hundreds of times, not even knowing it." Ricky muttered to himself, starring at Amy in disbelief and frustration. He sat back down next to his fiancé and grabbed her hand again.

"It was a closed adoption. I wasn't legally capable of telling you." Michelle whispered apologetically.

"So what happens now?" Amy asked

"Yea, if we decide to care for him. What happens? Is it even called adoption? I mean what do you call something like this?" Ricky stammered

"In a sense, yes you can look at it as adoption, but because you are his legal birth parents, you are simply gaining full custody. And John can come home today. He sprained his hand in the crash but has been driven to social services. He's at my office now. I can take you there, you sign the papers and take him home. No questions. You will of course have a court date within the next 6 weeks to legalize the custody. "

"We need some time to think. How about we go upstairs and get dressed while we talk this over. You can help yourself to some coffee in the kitchen. We'll be right back," Ricky said standing up.

Amy followed him upstairs and began to make the bed once in their room.

"Well what do you think?" Ricky whispered, "Are we really going to do this? Care for him as if he is our own."

"But he is our own Ricky! He always was."

"Suddenly acting like the parents he deserved all along isn't going to change the fact that we gave him up. That we aren't his parents."

"But what if we could be? Please Ricky! This could be our second chance!"

"Are you sure? This is a big commitment on a light stomach in the early morning. This is forever Ames."

"Ricky. Look at me." Amy ordered as she grabbed Ricky's head and angled it towards her. "We are going to be fine. He needs us. We have to do this."

"Okay. We'll do it."

"Yaaay! Thank you thank you thank you!" Amy cheered as she wrapped Ricky in a huge hug. Ricky and Amy quickly got dressed and went back down to Michelle.

"We decided were going to take him in. Our son needs us. We have to do it. For him. For us" Ricky smiled as he reached his arm over Amy's shoulders.

"My office is twenty minutes away. Follow me in my car and I'll take you."

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><p><em>Amy sat in her hospital bed with her new born son in her arms as she nursed him for the first time. Ricky and Amy had decided to name their son John along with the help of their adoptive couple, Cheyenne and Alexander. Suddenly Amy heard a knock at the door and pulled her mesmerized stare away from her son long enough to see Ricky walking in.<em>

"_Hey Ames" Ricky whispered sweetly "Uhmm, Cheyenne and Alex are here"_

"_Noo Ricky" Amy mumbled under her breath as tears started to fall from her face into John's blanket "It's too soon. I'm not ready to say goodbye yet" _

"_I know, Ames. I'm not either. But we have to. We signed him into their lives last week. It's official. He isn't ours anymore. Not legally."_

"_How can you say that? He's our son! He didn't ask for this. He's going to need us"_

"_Amy, please don't make this harder then it already is. I want to keep him just as much as you do, but we agreed a long time ago when we were clear headed and un emotional, that giving him up was and still is the best thing. Cheyenne will be a good mother and her and Alex are going to give John as much as they possibly can. Now come on, they want to see him. He isn't leaving for another couple of hours. They just want to see him."_

"_Okay," Amy sniffled, wiping her nose "Let them in"_

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><p>Ricky pulled into a snow filled parking lot. Aside from a few stray cars, the place was deserted. Amy and Ricky followed Michelle into a large dimly lit building and up a flight of stairs. Soon they found themselves in a long blue hallway with wooden brown doors scattered along each wall. The door closest to them read 'Social Services Department'.<p>

"Why don't you wait here, and I'll go make sure John is settled first" Michelle suggested calmly

"No, I want to see him right away" Amy barked

"Amy, calm down. We'll see him in a minute. I imagine he's very upset still. I don't want to startle him," Ricky mumbled, trying not to let others overhear

"I don't care, I want to see my son!"

"Amy, before you see him. There is something you should know. Something I didn't tell you before." Michelle warned

"What now Michelle?" Ricky sputtered, "You know I'm tired of all the secrets. I mean what else don't we know? It –"

Michelle cut him off, "JOHN'S DEAF RICHARD"

Ricky turned speechless. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Amy collapsed into his arms ready to burst into tears but she wanted to stay strong.

"Wh-Wh-When did this h-h" Ricky stuttered

"The doctor's said he was born deaf. They didn't realize until John was almost two. By that time the adoption was final and it wasn't considered an emergency. I was told not to contact you" Michelle mumbled apologetically

"Can he speak, is he mute? Does he sign?" Amy rambled, at a lost for words

"Yes, he lip reads and signs. We have an interpreter here for you this morning but once you take him home, you're on your own. This doesn't make John incapable of anything. He is the top of his class, is in a band and plays basketball. That school John moved here for is a deaf school for gifted children. John got in on a scholarship. But no he doesn't speak. He can, he just prefers not to"

"Amy, does this change anything for you?" Ricky asked nervously

Amy nodded her head side to side. "No, I still love him and I believe he's way better off with us than anyone else. "

"I agree" Ricky said, more to himself then turning towards Michelle "We want to see him"

"Okay then, follow me," Michelle commanded as she unlocked the door. The three stepped into a busy room with phones ringing and papers bustling. "He's right over there"

Amy and Ricky turned towards to right side of the room. Sitting on a chair near an empty desk was a boy in a baggy black zip up hoodie and blue jeans. A black backpack sat on the chair next to him. He stretched out his legs in front of him revealing black converse shoes. As he scanned the room with his bright blue eyes, tufts of golden hair snuck out of his hood. He brushed the hair out of his eyes with his right hand, wrapped in a bandage.

Amy let a gasp escape her as she clung onto Ricky's arm.

"He's so beautiful" She whispered

"Just like his mother" Ricky whispered back

The two held hands as they walked up to the young teen in the chair. John slowly looked up from the floor and met the gaze of a young couple approaching him, faces flushed and gripping each other tightly. A lady he had met earlier by the name of Michelle crouched down to his level and slowly spoke to him.

"John, I want you to meet your parents, Amy and Richard"

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><p>"<em>Hi Amy!" Cheyenne greeted as she crept into the room. Her eyes met John sleeping in his mother's arms. "Awww, he's adorable"<em>

"_Thank you. It's so nice to see you." Amy replied back, forcing a smile_

"_We are sorry we didn't get here sooner, but we wanted to give you three sometime together first."_

"_That was nice of you, thanks. Would you like to hold him?"_

"_Of course!" Cheyenne said, wiping a tear away from her eye. She reached out to Amy and cradled John in her arms. He stirred at the adjustment and began to wail. Cheyenne rocked him back and forth and he eventually calmed down. Alexander walked into the room and got lost in the sight of his wife and adopted son. Cheyenne handed John to Alex who sat down at the edge of Amy's bed stricken with awe at the little miracle he was holding. _

"_He is amazing you two. Congratulations and thank you. He is perfect" Alexander whispered, a lull in his throat._

"_He sure is alright" Ricky agreed "Do you mind if we steal him away for a little while longer? Michelle already said you're taking him home tonight" _

"_No worries. We'll be back in a little bit. Just need to pack his bag." Alex said handing John off to Ricky. _

_Once Cheyenne and Alex were out of the room, Ricky paced the room with his son in his arms. Amy leaned her head on her pillow as her eyes followed Ricky back and forth across the room. Soon, Amy felt her eyes drooping and was asleep within minutes. Ricky laid John down in the basinet next to Amy and crawled over Amy, lying down next to her. He spooned her until he too fell asleep._

_It was Anne who woke the temporary family up from their nap. _

"_Amy, it's time to say goodbye" _

_Amy wiped her eyes and sat up in her bed, startling Ricky. _

"_What! No. I'm not ready, a few minutes mom please." Amy begged, starting to cry_

"_I'm sorry Amy, but it has to be now. They are leaving."_

"_Noo. Mom. Please!" Amy grabbed her son out of the basinet next to her. He started to cry at the sudden movement, but it was nothing compared to Amy's sobs. Ricky walked himself into the corner of the room and slid down to the floor. He began to sob, and tried rocking himself for comfort. Amy called out to him and he reluctantly stood up. He walked over to her and covered both her and his son in a hug. Amy cried into Ricky's chest as he laid his cheek on her head, sputtering from his constant cries. _

_Anne carefully reached into Amy's arms and took John away from her grasp. Ricky had to restrain her from running towards her mom as she left the room. Ricky could see Anne hand John off to Cheyenne who laid him in a carrier, covering him with a blanket. Amy collapsed into Ricky on the floor of her room. The two cried into each other until John left the ward with his new family. Anne came back into the room and tried to pick Amy off of the floor. She coldly shook her mother away and grasped onto Ricky tighter than before. He didn't turn her away._

* * *

><p>Amy removed John's backpack from the neighboring chair. She sat down next to her son, dumbstruck and speechless. Ricky waited for Amy to start talking, after all she was his mother. Instead she surprised everyone by reaching over and giving John a big hug. At first he was reluctant to her touch. She was a stranger, someone he had never even met before. Her body felt right against his. She was nurturing, this was something he had never felt before. It wasn't like hugging his mom. John slowly raised his hands and laid them over her back, embracing her in his own hug.<p>

Ricky bent down to John's level and placed his hand on top of his shoulder. John broke his hug with Amy and starred his father in the eyes. They had the same type of hair, but the colouring was Amy's. His father had his ears and his smile. Their hands were identical, same size and structure. John suddenly felt connected to these two adults, he knew they were his parents but the words had never meant much until now. This felt right. Like he had met them before, a long time ago. John reached his hand out to his father who went by the name of Richard. Ricky shook his sons hand then pulled him into a warm embrace. John pulled away and reached into his backpack. He pulled out a pen and notepad.

Ricky and Amy watched as John scribbled something out on his pad. He turned the paper around into their direction. It read 'What now?' Ricky signed the only words he knew.

"My – Name – Is –R-I-C-H-A-R-D." He motioned for the pen and paper. John handed the utensils to his father and watched as he too wrote something down. He then handed it over to Amy who continued the message, before giving it back to John. John scanned the note reading *We are allowed to take you home, if that is okay with you. We can figure everything else out at our house* John looked up from the note and reluctantly nodded his head. He watched his parents turn towards the door and fall into a warm embrace as they walked. John memorized the way his father draped his arm over his mother's shoulder. As John followed slowly behind, he raised the volume of his headphones and pulled on his hood. Though he couldn't hear the sound, he could feel it. Just like he felt an invisible bond between him and his parents. The type of bond you could only have if you were … blood.


	4. These Things Take Time

John climbed into the back seat of a black sedan. He figured it belonged to his father since he was the one who got behind the wheel. Amy, his mother sat upfront next to his dad. John felt exhausted and a solemn rush of fear and pain rolled over him like a strong wave from the ocean. He leaned his head on the window on his right, zipping up his sweater all the way. The cold air creeping through the car's frame pushed itself onto John making him shiver. Flashes of last night's horrific event played across his mind so vividly, it made him squirm. Tears began to roll down his face. He tried to hide his pain by covering himself with his hood so Amy wouldn't see. As he wiped away his tears, the bandages on his right hand grew damp.

This was all too much for him to handle. He didn't see how anything could ever be the same. He had never known the people sitting in front of him. They had chosen lives without him and gave him up years ago. He had a rough idea why they did it but never bothered uncovering the truth. He had parents who loved him, who cared for him, who wanted him. They were all he needed and who he relied on due to his disability. Now they were gone and it was his fault. He didn't want to believe that it was, because in his heart he knew it wasn't. But finding someone to blame was an easier way to make sense of it all.

Soon, Ricky pulled up to a fairly large home in a crescent. The house was made of stones and large rocks, and had double cream doors with elegant windows and two garages. The driveway was a charcoal black and had a basketball hoop, now tied in plastic. John's parents got out of the car and watched as John followed, his eyes taking in the home before him. Amy led John up the front walk way and onto the porch as Ricky unloaded John's bags from the trunk. The cold breeze of the chilly November air blew through John's sweater, making his hairs stand on edge. Amy unlocked the door and let John inside. Ricky followed, but not before stamping his feet on the welcome mat. John did the same, careful not to track slush into the house.

Ricky placed John's luggage in the middle of the front hall. John turned in circles admiring the view. To his left was a living room with a large window allowing light in through its fabric curtains. The living room had two black leather couches, a cherry red coffee table and white carpet. On one wall of the room was a white fireplace with a sepia photo of two teens and a new born baby hanging above it. The photo was familiar. John had seen it before. It was the only photo John had of his birth parents. He kept the photo folded inside of his wallet. He was told that the photo was taken the day he was born, before he was handed over to his new family.

To John's left was a door that was left open slightly. He peeked inside and saw it was a bathroom. Up ahead was a large kitchen and dining room. John untied his black high-tops and unzipped his sweater. He pulled the ear buds from his ear and began to make his way up the stairs. He turned to look at his parents who were starring at him intriguingly, lost in his every move.

Ricky made sure to enunciate when he spoke. John eyed his father's lips and watched as he stumbled to find the right thing to say.

"Umm" Ricky began slowly "This is our house. There is a guest bedroom upstairs. It is all yours. I can bring you suitcase up for you if you would like. Just feel free to make yourself at home"

John nodded his head and made his way up the cherry red staircase. When he reached the top, he met another white door that was again left slightly open. This bathroom had a shower and not just toilet and sink. To John's left were two rooms. Both doors were closed and to his right was a large master bedroom. John figured he would investigate his own room later and walked into what he figured was his parent's room. The sheets were messy and clothes were tossed all over the floor. He figured his parents got a lot of action being engaged and alone. No one told him his parents were engaged. He had seen the ring on his mother's finger. He was smart and he knew it. He needed no reminder of it. The master room had a private bathroom with a large tub and shower, as well as double sinks. John made his way back to the upstairs hallway. The first door he tried was a small room. There was a Mac sitting on a computer desk next to the window, and a bunch of weights and a treadmill off near the wall furthest from the door.

John left the room and moved over to the door on his left. His room he assumed. He opened the door. This room was bigger than the room before. It had large windows like the living room downstairs and was painted a light blue. The back of the double bed face the window. There was a large wardrobe with a mirror above it on the left side of the room and an empty desk on the right. John walked in and sat down on the bed, taking off his sweater revealing a large black t shirt.

There was a knock at the door. John didn't hear it but he saw someone walk into the room through his peripheral vision. It was his mother. He nodded his head towards her, inviting her in. She stayed where she was and instead began to speak. Amy made sure her son was looking at her before she did.

"Lunch is ready. We ordered pizza. You can bring it up here and eat while you unpack if you want."

John signed the letter p and drew a Z in the air. Amy cocked her head confused. John gave a deep sigh as he pulled his notepad from his pocket. He wrote 'pizza' on the paper and tossed it to his mom. Amy nodded her head, understanding what he had said and tried to sign the word. She shot her son a look for approval and he flashed her a smile. He stood up and took the notepad back from her. The two made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. John grabbed a stool from the island. His dad tossed him a can of coke but John was too late to receive it. He hadn't heard his dad's call and Ricky had forgotten his son wouldn't hear it. The can went flying through the air, crashing against the wall of the dining room. The can dented and cracked, spraying sticky Pepsi in every direction. Amy ran to clean up the mess, paper towels in hand. John made a fist and circled it over his chest. He mouthed the word sorry to his dad. Ricky accepted the sign and the apology and tried his best to sign the word sorry back.

Amy came back into the kitchen, holding a wad of soaked paper, her right hand beneath the mess carefully avoiding dripping on her floor. She threw the wet paper towels out, washed her hands and grabbed three plates from the cupboard above the sink. Ricky pulled a large cardboard box from inside the oven. He had been keeping it warm. Amy handed her son a plate with three pizza slices and carefully gave him another can of coke. Before he began on his first slice, John picked off all the mushrooms leaving all other toppings. He then sprinkled the mushrooms in a big handful into his mouth as he tilted his head back. Amy watched in amazement as her fiancé did the exact same thing. Ricky was the only person she had ever met who was so obsessed with eating only mushrooms off the pizza first. John and Ricky kept their heads back the exact same way and finished off the last of their mushrooms. They took no notice to each other and dove right into to their food.

* * *

><p>When John was finished, Amy handed him a napkin to wipe his face. She pointed him to the garbage which hung on the inside of the cupboard under the sink. John turned to his mom, made a flat palm and brought it up to his chin. He finger tips touched his chin before being brought down to the middle of his chest. He mouthed the word 'thank you' and left the kitchen. John grabbed his luggage from the front hall and bolted up to his room, closing the door. He knew it would be hours before one of his parents called for his attention again. John bounced onto his bed and pulled out his phone from his bag. He hadn't checked his messages since yesterday morning. His phone had died before he had gone out to dinner with his parents. He was in such a hurry to leave for their reservation that he grabbed the phone without ever bothering to turn it on. He pressed the end button for several seconds and starred up at the ceiling lying on his back. Messages began flooding in.<p>

Apparently the accident from last night had made the news and anybody and everybody had texted John apologizing for what had happened. His closest friends, kids from school and even numbers he didn't know but that knew him. John searched his inbox for any messages from his best friend Luke. He knew Luke wouldn't blow this whole thing out of proportion. He finally found the message and clicked it.

_To John from Luke_

_Hey man! Heard what happened. That totally sucks. I'm so sorry. You okay? What now, I mean who's gonna take care of you?"_

_To Luke from John_

_I'm doing okay. They are both gone bro. Both my' rents. I miss them so much. It is like this is a nightmare and I can't wait to wake up. We were in a car crash. They were both distracted, signing to me and a car hit us straight on. Killed instantly. I don't know what I'm going to do without them._

John closed his phone, ready to deal with all other messages later. Within seconds, he got a reply from Luke

_To John from Luke_

_Where r u now?_

_To Luke from John_

_I've been given 2 my birth parents. Remember the losers we always used 2 joke about? They r actually really nice. I feel for them. I don't think they knew I was deaf. I cant call you until my phone is hooked up. Some social worker said we will go and get my stuff from the house tomorrow. Ill stop by ur house then. This probably means I won't be in skool until Monday. _

_To John from Luke_

_That's cool bro. Im glad the new folks are nice. Is it weird being with them?_

_To Luke from John_

_Totally! But it feels right. I can't explain it. My mom loves me; you can just tell by the way she looks at me. Kind of like she never wanted to give me up in the first place. I feel like I've come home. I've been away for a long time and I'm finally home._

_To John from Luke_

_That's some freaky shit. Anyways I got to go. Time for speech therapy. You sure you don't want to come?_

_To Luke from John_

_Well it isn't like I could today, but no I don't want to learn to talk like you. If I wanted to, I would have done it a long time ago when my dad wanted me to. Did I tell you we were fighting?_

_To John from Luke_

_Who was? And Kk_

_To Luke from John_

_Me and my parents. The night they… u no._

_To John from Luke_

_Sorry bro. That sucks, but they loved you. And u new tht. Gtg._

_To Luke from John _

_Bye._

John closed his phone and whipped it over to the other side of the room in anger. It smashed against the wall and the covering case bounced off, shattering. The phone seemed unharmed. John curled up into a ball and let himself cry. He shook widely and sputtered the salty tears from his dry lips as he let out all his pain through a hysteric fit.

Amy and Ricky were on the phone with their own parents, explaining the events of the past 24 hours. Suddenly they heard a large crash from upstairs and ran to investigate, hoping it wasn't John. Amy burst into John's room with Ricky right on her tail. John's phone had been launched against the opposite wall in rage. John had dropped to the floor and was crying uncontrollably. Ricky moved Amy aside and picked his son up in his arms. To his surprise the boy was light but had a firm build for a fifteen year old. Ricky carried John across the hall and into his bed. John was stunned. He couldn't stop the tears and didn't care where anyone put him. Amy climbed in next to her son and held him as he let go of the burdens that had been weighing down on him.

Soon John was able to calm down. He slowly breathed out cool shallow breaths as his mother stroked his hair. The recessive action soothed him and he eventually fell into the only sleep he had had since before the accident. Ricky left Amy alone with their son and went downstairs, opening a door beneath the staircase. He pounded down the wooden unfinished stairs and turned up his music. Ricky threw on a pair of boxing gloves and began working on his red punching bag that hung from a raft in the ceiling. He became exhausted rather quickly from over exerting himself and sat down on the cold cement floor, head against a pillar. He too began to sob. This wasn't what he had wanted; for him or his son. He hadn't planned this or expected it and it certainly wasn't what he had hoped for, all those times he had prayed to see his son again.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Ricky woke up earlier than anyone else. John had slept in his parent's bed last night, too tired to move into his own room. He had only gotten up once around eight asking for some water when Ricky and Amy were downstairs finishing off the pizza for dinner. Amy and Ricky had climbed into bed around their son with hopes of a goodnight sleep. Ricky checked the time on his digital watch. 5:45 am. He had gotten no rest, not that he expected to. He climbed out of bed and went to shower. He tried to let the run of the shower wipe away everything he was feeling. Though he felt refreshed once finished, he still carried a heavy burden inside his heart. It pained him to see his family suffer.<p>

Ricky sat at the kitchen counter drinking coffee. It was his third cup and he still couldn't seem to exit his depressing haze. Amy made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Ricky figured she hadn't slept well either for she had purple bags under her eyes. She kissed Ricky on the top of the head, the tail end of her robe following her every movement. Amy fixed her own cup of coffee and sat next to her fiancé. She stared down into the black syrup, clutching her long strands of hair in frustration. John slowly walked down into the kitchen, avoiding his parent's concerning gaze. Ricky noticed bright shimmers of light bounce off John's wet hair as his face met the morning sun that peeked in through the patio door.

"I let John use our shower. I figured he can use his own once he is more comfortable with things Hope you don't mind" Amy said apologetically

"I don't mind. How is he holding up?"

"He hasn't said anything all morning. I don't think he is very interested in talking"

"Michelle called. She said she is going to be at John's old house by noon. We should start getting ready. The house is almost a half hour away."

"Do you want to tell John or should I?"

"I will, you go shower"

Amy hesitated but decided it was best she not shelter John from his father. She left the room patting John's shoulder before she walked out into the hall. He craned his neck as he watched her leave then moved his eyes back to Ricky who was watching him intensely. Ricky opened a drawer on the other side of the room pulling out a notepad and pen. He wrote out a lengthened message and passed the paper to John.

John squinted at the writing for his tired eyes did him no justice in the waking hours of the day. He mouthed the words, letting Ricky know he understood *Michelle called. She wants us at your old house by twelve. We can stay as long as you want *

John looked up at his father slowly mouthing 'What happens to my house?'

Ricky tried to make out what his son was saying, but it took a few tries. Eventually he understood and got the hint John didn't want to write down every conversation they had.

"We will take whatever you want and bring it back here. Anything we leave behind will be sold. The profits go into your bank account. As for the house, it will be repossessed by the bank. Once it is sold, the mortgage will be paid off and anything left over goes to you."

John nodded his head slowly coming to the realization that this was his new home. And it would stay that way.

'Can I visit a friend while we are there?'

"A friend? Yea, a friend" Ricky whispered to himself, grasping John's question. "Sure. But we still need to discuss some things so only for a little bit okay. Is your friend deaf?"

John nodded his head. He used his pointer finger to sign a word. He first pointed to his temple and brought the finger down to his chin. He mouthed the word 'deaf'. Ricky followed after his son, waiting for approval. John shot him an award winning smile, and received an apprehensive grin back.

'Where is my phone?'

"Your phone? Oh right here. I didn't want the battery to die so I turned it off. Quite a lot of messages you have, Seems your friends really care." Ricky said happily, sliding the phone onto the counter.

John grabbed the notepad and scribbled something messily before snatching the phone off the counter and leaving the room. He grabbed an orange from a fruit bowl and left Ricky alone with his thoughts. Ricky turned the note to face him and made out the exotic lettering.

*I have no friends, only Luke. The rest are just trying to uncover the truth about what happened. I'm going upstairs to unpack. Come get me when Amy is ready to go*

Ricky gave a big sigh. _She __isn__'__t __just __Amy, __she __is __your __mother._Ricky thought to himself as he sadly grabbed his mug and poured himself another cup of coffee.

* * *

><p>John sat in the back of the car, replying back to each message. To most people he replied back with the same message.<p>

_Thanks for checking in on me. It means a lot. I'm doing okay under the circumstances. I should be back at school by Monday. We can talk then._

Street names and familiar buildings became coming into view. John knew he was almost home. His father pulled into a large court and drove a fair ways down before turning into an interlocked driveway. The house repelled an eerie loneliness. It too was in mourning. John got out of the car, ready to walk inside as if nothing was different. This would be the moment when he would wake up to the aroma of pancakes, his mom and dad happily chatting the morning away while they waited for him to make his way downstairs. John removed himself from the daydream. He knew that kind of thinking was pointless. His parents were gone. Amy saw the fear in her son's eyes and crossed the driveway to stand next to him. She reached for his hand. He didn't turn her away. They walked up the stone path together.

John searched for the key he was told to bring with him to unlock the doors. He was to hand them off to Michelle once their meeting ended. The three walked into the house. Pictures of John were hung all. Him when he was five, his first birthday party, grade eight graduation. All the things Ricky and Amy had missed out on. Ricky jogged out to the car and brought back in several cardboard boxes. Amy passed four to John who took them upstairs to his room. Amy helped Ricky take all the photos off the walls. John moved slowly, first laying all of his clothes onto his bed. He packed his telephone, laptop and gaming systems into one box. Another box he filled with figurines, photo albums and books. The third box was filled with John's speakers, DVDs, Cds, I pod, recharger and his lamp. The fourth box held John's basketball, his favourite baseball cap, hospital blanket, and teddy bear from when he was a baby. John pulled out a plastic bag and walked into his bathroom. He packed his toothbrush, floss and retainer. When John was done packing, he went down to retrieve his parents. They had finished removing all photos from the house. Family movies, photo albums and any spare cash were tossed into another box. John pulled his gym bag out of the front closet and packed all his shoes inside. He led his parents upstairs who helped him carry all of his things down and into the trunk of the car.

When Michelle arrived, the house was practically empty. Aside from the large furniture, everything personal was gone and all the food had either been thrown out or packed in boxes for donating. Ricky invited Michelle into the living room where Amy and John awaited her company. John sat next to Amy who kept her hand clasped over his. Ricky walked over to Amy sitting next to her. He patted her leg supportively, giving her a warm smile.

"So, is everything here organized?" Michelle asked sternly

"Yep, John has everything he wants packed and we took all the photos. Food is gone. All that is left is the furniture which we agreed to leave behind." Ricky replied proudly

"Great. So all that's left to discuss is the car."

"C-car?" Amy coughed, making sure she had heard right

"Alexander owned a mustang. The year escapes me but in his will he specified it be put in John's name once he was old enough to drive. How old are you John?"

John signed the number 15 by spreading out all five fingers of his right hand then slightly bending them all at once.

"See, he will be driving in four months. Now until he turns eighteen, he can't legally own the car which is why we are willing to put it in your name Richard, once you feel John is ready, you can sign the car over to him."

"Well we will take the car, but we need to decide if John will get it. I agree with Alexander, it should be John's but we didn't know if umm… John could drive with his disability" Amy stuttered, ashamed

John was watching his mother's lips and stood up, starring down at her, scowl on his face. He began to silently rant. Throwing hand gestures this way and that. No one understood what he was saying.

'I am not disabled' John mouthed 'I can still communicate, I can understand what hearing people say. I am very smart, I shouldn't be held back from driving! I hate that term disabled. Do I look like I have a disability? NO!'

John stormed out of the living room and into the front hall. He turned around, sadly looking around his house for the last time. The memories in there, rushed over him and he caused a painful lump in his throat, by trying to hold back his tears. He grabbed his coat from the front closet with his bandaged hand and stormed out into the street. He crossed it without looking, Amy running after him. Ricky stopped her, letting her watch their son enter a house across the road. When the door closed, and John was safely inside, Ricky suggested they go back in to Michelle and let John spend some time with his friend.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Thankyou so much for all the feedback. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Incase you are wondering why Ricky's name sometimes flips between Richard and Ricky, it is because there are moments when he has an image to uphold and can't always be seen as the rebellious boy we love from the show. I know this chapter was long and I apologize, but I really want to get everything with John sorted out. I am giving him such an attitude in the begiining because normally a teen like him would be even more closed minded to the situation. He should be actually more depressed but I didn't want to dampen the mood. Whenever you see John or anyone else sign a word or a sentence, their dialogue will appear with quotation makrs like this "". Whenever John or someone else mouths out words, you will see the dialogue begin and end with apostrophes like this ''. Whenever John or someone else writes something down, the message will begin and end with stars like this **. I hope this clears things up for you as a reader. Thanks again for all the support. **


	5. Grateful Acceptance

Ricky and Amy finished signing all necessary paper work. Their court date was scheduled for the second week in January. The day after John returned to school ending Christmas break. Amy handed the house keys over to Michelle who locked the door and stuck the key in a hanging lock box. Ricky and Amy waited until Michelle backed out of the driveway. They then made their way across the street and up to the porch of the house John was visiting. Ricky knocked on the door and stood with his arm over Amy's shoulder, awaiting an answer. A woman who looked to be in her early forties peeked through a curtain and opened the door with a welcoming smile.

"Hi. I'm Lexie Mitchell. Luke's mom. You must be here for John?"

"Hi, I'm Richard, and this is my fiancée Amy. Yea, sorry about John. We got into a little predicament with him across the street and he ran over here. Sorry is he disturbed you."

"No, no problem at all. He is always welcomed here. He is such a good boy. He and Luke are the best of friends. The boys were actually just starting lunch, if you would like to come in."

"Sure, I don't think that would be a problem." Amy said, leading Ricky into the house. "Thank you for taking John. We had a few papers left to sign and couldn't run after him right away."

"Please don't worry about. Over here, John is practically family. He was telling me what happened. It is just so sad. His getting uprooted so suddenly like this. He was practically on the verge of tears telling Luke and I. How are you too coping?"

Amy and Ricky were lead into the living room where they sat down on a suede sofa.

"So John told you?" Amy asked surprised

"Yes, I hope that's okay"

"No, we don't mind. It is just John hasn't been very open with us yet. We barely know what happened to cause the accident. It had been a hard adjustment over the past 36 hours."

"Well, I'm sure he will come around. Do either of you know sign language?"

"No. I am familiar with the alphabet but that is all." Ricky stated regrettably "John showed me one or two signs but other than that…"

"Well, first thing I would suggest is learn your signs. At least the basics for now. Finger spelling, numbers, colours, objects. That way John doesn't always have to lip read."

"Your son Luke is deaf as well right? That is how John and him know each other, aside from living across the street." Amy asked curiously

"Yes, well we both moved into the vicinity around the same time. Luke and John started at the deaf school near by in grade nine. It was its first year open so a lot of deaf kids moved into the area. It is called Spark Academy for the deaf and blind. John actually reads brail. He was taught by one of his teachers last year."

"Wow, I wish he would have told me that. That's amazing. Where is this school?" Ricky asked, amazed

"Down on Quinn Avenue. Past the movie theatre. It isn't a long drive. Where do you live?"

"We live near the border between New York and New Jersey. It is about a half hour away."

"Well, I will have to take down the address, I know Luke would love to come by sometimes. If you don't mind. We actually have this schedule set up, where the boys come home from band practise on Thursdays and John comes over to our house for a few hours. The boys do homework, play basketball; that sort of thing. We would love to have john continue coming over if it is okay with you."

"No we wouldn't mind at all. We don't want to discourage john from losing anything more than he has to. What is your phone number so we can –"

Just then Amy was cut off by a boy screaming from another room

"MUMM" The boy called, running into the room. He began to sign to his mom, speaking above his gestures "We wan too go otside n pway bashkit bawl" The boy Ricky and Amy assumed was Luke didn't notice the company. He immediately dropped his hands to his side, and began to shuffle his feet, embarrassed when he did. Lexie went up to her son making him look at her. She signed to him, once again talking over her own gestures.

"These are John's parents. Bring him in here. They need to talk. Then you can play, but John needs to go."

Luke left the room sulking and pulled John into the doorway. John's mood fell when he saw his parents sitting in the living room.

Ricky stood up and circled a fist over his chest; he was signing "sorry". Luke sat down next to his mom, but John remained standing. Lexie approached him and told him to sign to her. She would translate. John nodded his head and began signing as Lexie began to interpret.

"I am sorry. Sorry I disturbed your life like this. I know what you think of me. I am not stupid. Just because I am deaf, doesn't mean I can't do things like drive. I hate you for thinking that. I hate you for leaving me when I was a baby. I hate how I lost the only people who ever really loved me. And I hate how being back with you feels so right. I hate all of this. I wish it had never happened. I don't want to leave everything I know and love. I don't want to leave my parents. I miss them."

Amy walked over to John and gave him a big hug. He stood there, shaking silently. He didn't reciprocate the touch this time. Ricky watched Amy try to comfort their son. Luke stood in the doorway of the room, arms crossed over chest, leaning on the frame. He grew tired of seeing his friend hurt. He walked over to John, politely motioning for Amy to move aside. Luke pulled John out of the room. John stumbled backwards, not wanting to move. The two boys met in the hallway. John breathed slowly, trying to calm down.

"John!" Luke signed quickly "I know this isn't what you wanted, but it is what it is. Now you can be a little bitch or you can suck it up. Those people care. I know your hurting, but maybe they hurt just as much as you do. You will never know if you don't give them a chance."

"Luke! You don't get it. My mom and dad are dead and it is my fault. How am I supposed to forget that and pretend like these fools are my parents?"

"Because they are your parents! And it wasn't your fault and you know that. No one is asking you to forget. But you need to move on. Far enough to let you go home with this couple trying their best to do the job they gave up fifteen years ago."

"I don't want to"

"You don't have a choice. Give it a chance. They might surprise you" Luke dragged John back into the room and waited for him to say something.

John signed "sorry" and told Lexie he was ready to go. She interpreted for Amy and Ricky who eagerly sprang from the couch. They walked John to the door and waited out in the cold while he said goodbye to his friend.

* * *

><p>Amy, Ricky and John made their way into the fully packed car and drove home. John slithered into his own cocoon of self depression as he moved to the rhythm of a song that blared through his speakers. Ricky stopped on the way home and picked up three burgers, fries and shakes. They ate in the car before continuing on their long drive home. By the time they pulled in, it was dark outside. They spent the next ten minutes unloading things from the car, in which they then brought into the house. While Ricky brought all of their photos down to the basement, Amy helped john carry his things upstairs.<p>

"Do you want to sleep here tonight" Amy asked John. She realized he wasn't looking at her and tapped his shoulder

He turned to look at Amy, raising his shoulders, confused.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?" Amy asked again

John shook his head side to side. Amy thought he was saying no, but instead he waved his hand at her, indicating her wanted her to follow him. Amy confusingly stood across from her son and tried to repeat after his signs as he signed "do – you – want – to – sleep – here – tonight?"

Amy didn't quite grasp the concept right away but when she finally pieced everything together, John nodded his head up and down. Amy couldn't help but burst out laughing. Being with her son felt freeing. She wasn't herself around him. John tried to stifle his own laughter, but let a large grin slip out from under his frown. His mom definitely wasn't used to signing. Ricky walked heard Amy giggling and walked into John's room, knocking on the door. Amy turned to look at Ricky and invited him into their company.

Amy shot John a tempting glance. He nodded his head, trying not to smile.

Amy slowly signed to Ricky "Do you want to sleep here tonight?"

Ricky feverishly tried to figure out what his fiancé was saying. He didn't understand and felt more isolated when Amy entered another fit of laughter. John wore an unforgettable smile. He obviously found this amusing.

"Someone feels better. What is going on?" Ricky asked confused

"John wants to sleep here tonight. I just asked if you would like to join him."

"Umm… No. He is a big boy. He can sleep on his own, unless he wants me here."

John shook his head side to side. He plugged in his lamp and Amy shut off the overhead light. The room was showered in dim lighting. Ricky helped Amy flatten out the empty boxes. Though it was only 9:00, John felt worn out. He pulled out his notepad and wrote:

'I'm pretty tired. I think I will try and sleep. I don't think I am ready to go to school tomorrow. I don't know when I will be ready'.

"That is fine" Amy replied "Take as long as you need. You get changed and come get me when you are ready. I want to show you something"

John nodded his head and watched his parents leave his new room. He quickly got dressed; throwing the day's clothes into a hamper Amy had set out for him. When he opened his door, he saw a light on down in the kitchen. He crept downstairs in his plaid fleece pajama pants and black top. He saw his parents cuddled on the couch, looking at a tiny photo album. John didn't recognize this one and figured they didn't get it from his old house. Ricky noticed John standing all alone in the hallway and invited him to sit in between them on the couch. John hesitated but went along with the invite when his mom patted the empty space with her hand. John sat down in between his parents. Amy put the book in John's lap. He traced the cover page with his bandaged hand reading * Baby John*

John looked at both is mother and father. They silently smiled at him, nodding their heads as if encouraging him to turn the page. John looked back at the book and slowly turned to the front page. He saw a photo of a sonogram that read five months. Turning the page, he saw his mother in what looked like a wedding dress. Next to her was some skinny guy who looked spoiled and immature. He knew it wasn't his dad. John cocked his head to the side, gesturing for explanation. Amy shot Ricky a glance and started to speak slowly.

"Your father and I weren't always together. When I was pregnant with you, I was with a great guy named Ben. We felt the only way to keep you was to get married, hence the dress. It turns out Ben was a big asshole and luckily the wedding was illegal. We weren't old enough"

John smiled and kept flipping through the book. The next page held a family portrait. He saw his much younger mom, in a yellow turtleneck. She sat in a chair with a young girl with long dark hair next to her. Standing behind his mom was a couple in their early forties.

Ricky cleared his throat as John looked at him. "That is your grandfather." Ricky said, pointing to the photo, giving John time to read his lips and follow the photo. "This is your grandmother. They were separated but got back together when your uncle turned five. He is a year younger than you, Named after your grandmother's dad – Robert. Robbie for short. And this is your aunt Ashley. She is dating some guy named Toby. "

John turned to the next page. It was a photo of his dad, in a white apron, pointing a knife in the camera's direction.

"Your dad used to work in a butcher shop when he was in high school. Ben's dad owned the shop. He even gave your dad the apartment over the shop."

'Why didn't he live with his parents?' John mouthed

Ricky touched John's shoulder and John turned his attention towards his dad. "I was in foster care. My mom and dad both drank and did drugs when I was little. My dad would come home each night high, and would beat me and rape me. When I told my teacher, she got in touch with social services and I was put in foster care. I ended up with a nice couple. They are still my parents. My birth mom came back into my life a year after you were born, but she died three years ago from aids."

John signed "Sorry" and Ricky nodded his head, accepting the sincere apology. He watched his son turn to the next page. This was a photo of Amy, very pregnant, reading a book at school.

"This was a photo in the yearbook." Amy giggled. John cracked a smile and looked at the neighbouring photo. He saw a nicely decorated room with balloons and presents.

"This was my baby shower" Amy started "but I went into labour when I arrived and never got to see the decorations. Your aunt took the rest of these photos" Amy turned the page for John and he saw a picture of his mother in a hospital bed, sleeping with her hands drawn over her stomach. The stomach that carried him. The next photo was Amy surged forward. His dad was in this photo, holding Amy's hand. The next photo took john's breath away. It was him. He was lying on Amy's stomach as she and Ricky looked upon him. He was a little red doll, squirming from the cold, and wailing as loud as he could. Amy saw john gaze at the photo. She could tell it was easily his favourite.

The last photo in the book was the same photo that hung over the mantle and was folded in John's wallet. John hadn't noticed until now but his parents looked really innocent and scared in the photo. Before, they had been some silly teenagers not knowing what they were giving up, but John felt as if giving him up was the hardest thing they had ever had to do.

John signed "Thank you" and stood up from his comfortable positioning the couch and stretched. He went to hand the small album to his mother but she turned it away.

"We want you to keep this. Hopefully it will help make sense of all this" Amy said, handing the book back to her son.

John smirked as he nodded his head. He gracefully accepted the gift before turning around and slowly making his way back to his bedroom.

"Do you think we will ever have a normal relationship with him?" Amy asked, leaning her head on her fiancé's chest.

"I think we gave up normality years ago. We are never going to have a normal life. Neither is he and that is just the way it is going to be. As for our relationship and strength as a family, I say keep trying, keep talking. We will eventually climb over this hurdle and continue our lives as best we can."


	6. Who To Blame

**A/N I know this chapter is short, and has nothing to do with any of the before mentioned characters but by the end it will all make sense. The direction this story turns towards may be ironic and unrealistic but it is fiction for a reason and is really going to help everyone with their healing process. After the next chapter, things will really lighten up. - i promise :)**

* * *

><p>Detective Kiptyn Benington paced the scene of the accident. His hands were stuffed into his pockets avoiding the evening frost numbing his skin. His black shoes crunched the shattered glass on the icy pavement as he approached the remains of the totalled car. Drunk driver and head on collision. Those were the words he had heard every uniformed officer mumble to another as they cleared the area. The car Kiptyn was starring down had held a family of three just hours earlier. Now the parents were dead and the fifteen year old boy was being transported to social services. What Kiptyn didn't know was who had caused the accident.<p>

By the boy's description and other witness testimonies, the other driver was drunk and on the wrong side of the road, weaving between cars. When the cars collided, he was thrown and his car spun and rolled into another lane. The middle aged man was killed instantly. When his car was smashed, his lighter fluid ignited, sending him and the vehicle up in flames. All that was left was a melted frame and three red digits off the license plate. Charges were supposed to be placed, but in order for the matter to be resolved, the mystery driver would need to be revealed.

They had called Detective Benington in to investigate. It was his new case and job to find out the identity of the man but so far, he was having no luck and the unidentified body would be reported as missing by family and friends if he didn't figure it out. Kiptyn would need to chase down the license plate tomorrow at the firm as it was being encased for evidence. He decided to visit all the local bars in the area. Hopefully by asking around, he would find someone who knew something.

The first bar Kiptyn saw was just up the road. The neon sign above the door flashed "Big Jake's". The place was run down and obviously attracted a host of thugs for almost everything in sight was vandalized. Kiptyn made sure to lock his car door securely before stepping into the small bar. A chubby tender who looked somewhat harmless was wiping the counter. The place was empty aside for the suicidal man at the other end of the room who starred down into his drink, waiting for answers.

"We're closed" the bartender grunted from behind the bar.

Kiptyn flashed his badge and took a seat on a wooden stool in front of the man who had politely shut up.

"I need to ask you a few questions. There was an accident just down the road caused by a drunk driver in a red car. We can't identify him and we need to know where he was drinking. No one is in trouble but I need to know who he is. Think you might be able to help me out?" Kiptyn asked coldly and quickly, not wanting to waste an ounce of time or give the impression he cared about anything else

"Well what did he look like? It has been a slow night. I might not remember, nor do I really care"

"He was middle aged, buzzed cut. That is all we got from a witness description."

"There was a guy in here earlier. He could fit that description. He had a lot of earrings and looked high. He came in around 7 and stayed till about 9. He was drinking the whole time. It wasn't until about 8:30 that I noticed he had too much. It was then when he went out in his car and I think passed out for almost an hour before driving off."

"Can you remember what he was driving?"

"It was a car, maybe burgundy or red. Yea, it was red."

"It is a possibility that this is our guy. Did he say anything when he was here? A name or address?"

"He never said his name and stayed mostly quiet. He did say one thing though. Something about how he had just got released from prison last Thursday."

"Did he say what for?"

"I can't remember"

"That's okay. You've been a big help. Do you have a copy of his receipt I could take?"

"Sure, one sec." The tender Kiptyn assumed was Jake, mumbled as he walked into the back room.

He returned soon after with a small bill in his hand. He handed it off to Kiptyn.

"Thank you. Can I take down your name and number? I may need to contact you for a testimony if this goes to court"

"Sure. Here's my card." Jake said, sliding a yellow card in Kiptyn's direction. Kiptyn thanked Jake, then left the bar. He drove to several other bar's around the radius of the accident. One guy said he had seen a guy leave drunk but he was blonde. Another saw a man leave in a red car but he hadn't been drinking and three others had no information to contribute other than the prices of their beer. It was almost 4 am before Kiptyn arrived home to his empty apartment. He was basically back to where he had started except for Jake's help.

The next morning, Kiptyn drove down the headquarters in hope of catching the license plate. The chief was at the front desk and called Kiptyn over and up to his office on the eighth floor.

"Have a seat Detective Benington" the chief beckoned, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the back of his office chair

"Dad, I don't have time for this. I got to catch evidence before it is made into a report."

"Too late son. Now come one, you don't have time for your own father? Now come on sit. I might be able to give you a jump on this case."

"What could you know that I possibly don't?" Kiptyn asked as he sat down across from his father

"To start off, I was able to catch the report before it went into filing. All the info about the car is in here. Secondly, I wanted to ask you over for dinner tonight"

"You want me over for dinner?" Kiptyn asked as he reached for a copy of the report

"Well Christine does. She is upset she drove us apart."

"No you drove us apart Dad!" Kiptyn barked, jumping from his seat "Marrying Christine after Mom's death was just an added factor. Tell her I'm sorry but that I have a case to crack"

Kiptyn left the room and stormed out of the building and into his car. He drove down to the local station and barged into his office, closing the door behind him. He sat at his desk and began to overlook the report. Inside it gave the part of the license plate that hadn't been charred. The original plate had been sent to forensics who were trying to uncover the rest of the missing digits. Kiptyn opened a system on his computer and began to fill in the necessary information about the car. He was going to search it's registration in hopes of finding an owner.

Kiptyn found eight matches describing a red civic in the local tri county area. Three of the cars belonged to women and one belonged to a teenager. That narrowed his selection down to four. Only one car had been sold to a new owner and one was totalled in a crash three months earlier. This left two. Kiptyn looked into the profile of each driver. One had a record. Bingo.

Kiptyn furthered his search into a man named Damian Rodriguez. He lived 25 minutes away in an old run down building. Kiptyn wrote down the address and headed out to see if this man was able to be found. Kiptyn arrived outside the building quicker than he expected and buzzed apartment 12. A man with a rusted voice answered the page and invited Kiptyn inside when he heard he was a cop.

Kiptyn knocked on a dented wooden door that sat across from the building's broken elevator. A tall man who fit the description Jake had given the previous night answered the door and invited Kiptyn inside.

"I'm sorry to bother you so suddenly but I had a question about a red civic. Are you Damian?"

"Yes, Did you just say you're here about my car?"

"Hmm, I must have the wrong owner then. My apologies."

"Well wait!" Damian said, as Kiptyn was turning to leave "There wasn't some sort of accident was there? Because I lent my car to a friend for the weekend. He just got released and needed to look for work"

"Did you say he just got released?"

"Yea, last Thursday why?"

"This must be him. Have you seen you're friend since yesterday afternoon?"

"No, I saw him yesterday morning but haven't heard a thing since. Why – what happened?"

"It seems a middle aged man with tattoos and a shaved head was driving a red civic drunk last night and died in a head on collision. Does this description suit you're friend?"

"Yes, Oh My God!"

"There is more. He killed a married couple. Their teenage son was in the back seat but managed to survive. The city is pressing charges. What was the name of your friend?"

"I don't know who you could contact because I only met him in prison six months ago. I got released before he did from his fifteen year sentence and told him to stop by when he got out."

"Name please?"

"Bob. Bob Underwood"


	7. Healed Wounds, New Scars

John rolled endlessly in his sleep. He had tossed and turned all night and was exhausted from the continuous insomnia he had experienced over the past week since moving into his new home. John resentfully opened one eye, quickly re-closing it, trying to avoid the bright contrast of the room. Grunting, John turned over to his stomach and starred at his digital clock. The time read 5:17 am. John's alarm wasn't set because he hadn't felt the desire to return to school all week and saw no point in waking up early. Despite this unplanned vacation, John's mind couldn't sit still. He was having trouble sleeping and when he did, nightmares overcame him. Truthfully, John was scared that if he let himself fall unconscious, his dreams would take control over him. John had been fighting a personal battle with himself for days. It was a battle he was trying hard to win but was simultaneously failing. John blamed himself for the accident and there wasn't a single person he could tell.

John pulled himself out of bed, running his bandaged hand through his shaggy hair. He entered the bathroom and felt his pupils enlarge as he adjusted to the bright florescent light being exerted from the bulbs above the mirror. John starred down at his bandaged hand. He was scheduled for a doctor's visit that morning and had been told that if he had healed well, his casting would be removed. John limply made his way into the shower. He stood under the warm spray, letting the steam surround him. John lost himself in his thoughts. It was times like these that John felt at peace. He knew it was pathetic for his inner comfort to come from another dimension but it was all that was keeping him sane… and alive.

* * *

><p>Amy was laying some store bought muffins onto a large platter that sat in the middle of the kitchen island. Her fiancé Ricky made his way into the kitchen, brief case in hand and laid it on the counter before grabbing his travel mug from the cupboard.<p>

"Are you sure you can't stay home one more day?" Amy annoyingly whined, turning to face Ricky

"Positive. As much as I love being here with you guys, the firm needs me and has been going through a lot to replace me for the past week. I can't be out sick forever, unless I want to loose my job. Plus you're here, and John will be going back to school in a couple of days… then you can return to work"

"I know, it has just been so nice having you off these past few days. I'm going to miss it"

"Well, I'll be home for dinner. In the mean time, can you try figuring out what has been bothering John? He has seemed so depressed ever since that day at Luke's"

"He's a boy who just lost his parents Ricky, not some puppy from the pound. Just give him time. When he wants to talk, he will"

Just then Amy and Ricky were interrupted by John stomping his way into the kitchen. He grabbed a stool and sat with his arms crossed, lying on the counter. His head hung low, once again avoiding eye contact.

"You think time is what he needs?" Ricky mumbled behind Amy's ear as he took his freshly filled mug and briefcase, heading for the front hall. Ricky tapped John's shoulder who routinely lifted his head sleepily and waved goodbye. Amy waved her hand in front of her son's face, awaiting his response.

"Good morning John" Amy beckoned, greeting the day. She was far too cheery for John's liking and he simply signed hello by flattening his hand and bringing it up to his temple. With his palm facing his mother and pointer finger touching his head, John moved his hand away from his face. He sadly looked away from her becoming easily distracted by the loose threads on his injured hand.

"Hey!" Amy ordered, lightly smacking john's wrist. He shot her a glare and she forcefully enunciated her speech "Don't touch. We are going to the doctor today. You can take them off then. Do you want to tell me what's wrong before we go grocery shopping? Or while we are stuck in a waiting room?"

"I don't have a problem" John signed, simultaneously mouthing his words "I told you already that nothing is wrong"

"I think there is. Now we have tried to let you tell us yourself but we don't know what to say. We need to make sure you are okay before you go back to school."

"Don't say anything. You don't need to it is okay. I know I am falling behind, but I'm not ready yet. I will be soon, I promise."

"Okay, I'm holding you to it. Go get your coat and grab some breakfast. We are leaving." Amy said before turning her back to her son and leaving the room. Amy sat in the car for a long time before John finally stepped out front, locking the door behind him. He stuffed the key into his pocket next to his phone and ran to the car. He pulled open the passenger door and jumped in, rubbing his hands together to avoid to cold. John had been in the car a few times before, but never in the front seat. His dad had been with him all other times.

* * *

><p>Amy drove down the road to the nearest grocery store. John got out and followed his mom inside. This wasn't exactly what he wanted to be doing at the moment but he felt he would give his mom a chance before ditching her for the magazines article. Amy handed John a cart which he hung off of with all his weight, following her down several aisles as she starred deeply at her shopping list.<p>

When the cart was half full of cans and breads and boxes, Amy asked John to run down to aisle six and pick up a bag of chips. He could choose the flavour. John nodded his head and made his way back through the store. He was so focused on finding the right aisle that he didn't notice the girl in the green apron stacking cans at the bottom of a shelf. He walked right into her, sending cans in every direction. John bent down to help her clean the mess, then helped her to her feet.

It wasn't until she wiped away the loose blonde strands of hair that had fallen from her bun that John noticed how beautiful the girl was.

"I'm so sorry!" the girl muttered flustered, growing suddenly shy at the sight of the adorable buy in front of her. "Are you okay?"

John read her lips, and smiled at how she felt so guilty for something he had caused. John guessed it was because she worked there and didn't want to upset anyone. He could tell she had a heart of gold. John pulled out his pen and paper, thinking quickly then suddenly wrote *NO! I'm sorry. It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm getting over a cold and lost my voice so I'm using this for now. My apologies. I'm John.*

The girl read the note before handing it back to John. He secretly wished she would have written back because he didn't want to take the chance he would misread what she was saying.

"Hi John! I'm Jamie. Nice to meet you. Do you mind if I ask why you were so distracted? If you're lost, I can help you find what you're looking for"

*Aisle number six. My mom said that's where the chips live*

Jamie laughed at John's response before telling him to follow her. When Jamie turned her head away, John could tell she was still talking due to her hand gestures and he ran up next to her, walking on an angle to catch what she was saying

"Here we are. Aisle six. Can I help you with anything else?"

John nodded his head from side to side.

"Great, well hopefully I'll see you around John. It was nice meeting you"

*You too ;)*

John watched Jamie walk back to her pyramid of soup cans before realizing she was not even ten feet away from him. Had she brought him there on purpose? Did she like him?

John shot the thought away from his mind and tried to keep himself from smiling as he grabbed his favourite brand of chips. John took the long way around the store, careful not to bump into Jamie or anyone else. He found Amy in the frozen foods section and helped her load numerous boxes of frozen pizza into her shopping cart.

Amy shot John a curious glance, expecting him to disown her existence at any moment. Instead he waited patiently, starring at her with his bright blue eyes and hands in his pockets.

"What took you so long?" Amy asked suspiciously

John took out his paper again. He didn't want to be caught signing in public where cute girls watched his every move.

*It's chips mom. There are a lot of choices.*

John then walked away, trying to avoid any more interrogating questions. He pulled out his phone and texted Luke, glancing back every few words to make sure Amy was following him.

"Did he just call me mom?" Amy quietly mumbled out loud as she pushed her cart towards check out. John stood next to her in line and was caught off guard when they both reached for the same pack of liquorish.

"You like liquorish?" Amy asked surprised and watched John nod his head "Take a pack then, and grab me one too"

John did as he was told and helped Amy bag the groceries. He pushed the cart out into the parking lot and up to the car. John sat upfront again, opening his package of candy while Amy loaded the bags into the trunk of the car. Amy stomped the snow off her boots before climbing into the car next to her son. She stole a small rope of liquorish from John's lap and turned to him.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, already expecting John to nod his head and wait for her to drive to the closest place with a menu.

* * *

><p>Richard walked back to his office, coffe mug in hand. He had spent the morning in a meeting and was looking forward to some quiet time in his office catching up on the past week's work. Just as he sat down at his desk, his secretary buzzed in, making him jump.<p>

"Excuse me Mr. Underwood" Amanda stuttered over the speaker "I have a Detective Benington here to see you. He says it's important"

"Fine Amanda" Richard sighed "Let him in"

A few moments later, there was knock on Richard's office door and a blurred shadow reflecting in through the glass.

"Come in!" Richard called, not wanting to get up and welcome in the uninvited company. The door swung open and a devilish man walked in. He introduced himself as Kiptyn Benington.

"How may I help you Mr. Benington?"

"Detective"

"Hmm?" Ricky asked confused

"Detective Benington. Not Mr."

"My apologies… Detective… How may I be of assistance"

"I have actually been assigned to an identity case, one that involves you and your son actually"

"My son?"

"Did you not recently gain custody of your biological son? Due to the unfortunate mortality of his adopted parents in a car crash last week?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"We were able to uncover the identity of the drunk driver who caused the collision"

"And?"

"Well it turns out you know him."

"Know him? That can't be. I haven't heard anything, haven't been contacted. Are you sure? Who was it?"

"It seems the driver had recently been released from prison due to a fifteen year sentence for buying drugs on parole. He was arrested eight years previous for abuse of his six year old son."

Ricky felt his heart stop mid beat. A fiery rage of anger and disturbance set into his chest. He could feel his face change colour as sweat began to pool over his left brow.

"Richard, the man was your father"

* * *

><p>Amy sat next to John in the waiting room of the local health clinic. John was busy twiddling through an application on his phone and Amy had lost herself in an article about teen anxiety. Ever since gaining custody, amy had become quite interested in the emotional stability of her son. Soon a nurse welcome them into the back hall, and Amy tapped John's shoulder, gesturing for him to follow.<p>

John sat in a chair with his arm laid across a small table with a miniature pair of silver scissors. Soon the doctor John recognized from the emergency room the night of the accident walked in, taking a seat across from John. John had instantly liked this doctor because he knew how to sign and made sure to do so when briefing John.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Ty Colindale. I'm familiar with your son's injury" Dr. Colindale announced, leaning in to shake Amy's hand. I'm just going to remove John's bandaging and run a few tests just to make sure there was no brain damage during the crash. We didn't have the chance the night of the accident but its nothing serious, just a precautionary measure"

Dr. Colindale grabbed the pair of scissors from the utility tray and lightly took hold of John's right hand. He gently snipped the edging of the fabric watching the threads coil and fall. As his doctor removed the last layer, John pulled his hand free and admired the faint scar that stretched across the top of his hand. Dr. Colindale stood up from his chair, threw out the torn bandages and grabbed a chart from the counter. He jotted down a quick note in one column before turning his attention to Amy and John.

"So everything looks good" Ty began slowly, signing at a regular pace "John is going to follow me down the hall, I'll do a quick cat scan and then you two are free to leave"

"Sounds good" Amy agreed cheerfully, tapping John's shoulder "John, I'll be outside okay?"

John nodded his head in understanding before trailing Dr. Colindale down the hall, up a flight of stairs and into a large room. Ty helped John find a gown and set him up in a tunnel like machine used for scanning the brain. He told John to stay very still. John did as he was told, and tried to relax during the fifteen minute x-ray. He could feel the hum of the machine surrounding him and imagined what it would have sounded like.

Amy waited impatiently in the waiting room. She wished she would have been invited along with her son but maybe John's doctor figured it was best she give John some space. He had been warming up to her and Ricky more and more but she felt he was still on edge and still grieving. Soon but not soon enough, john returned back to his mother, led by a nurse who told Amy the results of John's scan would be received between one to two weeks. John waited by the elevator while his mom bid her goodbyes, then walked alongside her to the car. As usual, the two drove home in silence.

Amy had received a text from Ricky saying he had some important business to attend to regarding John and that he wanted both of them awake when he got home. Amy grew suddenly curious as to what her fiancé knew that she didn't but decided to put the curiosity aside until he got home. For dinner, Amy cooked one of the frozen pizzas she had bought at the store and saved three slices for Ricky on a plate in the fridge. John once again ate all the mushrooms first.

* * *

><p>After dinner, John went up to his room without so much as a thank you. Amy figured she would clean the dishes before going upstairs to try and meddle the hidden secrets out from beneath her son. John pulled out a large photo album from his closet, and sat with his back against his pillow. He drew open the first page and starred vividly at a photo of his adopted parents holding a new born baby. They had explained to John that the photo had been taken the day he came home from the hospital. John continued to turn the pages, following his young self grow and mature.<p>

John didn't hear his mother lightly knock on the door before opening it. Amy saw John lost inside one of the albums from his old home and felt her heart break as small tears rolled down John's face. Amy stood in the doorway waiting for John to notice her presence. When he did, he tried to hide the fact that he was crying but knew she had seen too much. Amy sat on the bed, leaning in to John.

"Is everything okay?"

John shook his head. There was no use in hiding it.

"You miss them don't you?" Amy asked, referring to one of the pictures.

John nodded his head, avoiding Amy's eyes.

"I know honey. I know you do. Is that why you have been so unpleasant lately?"

John took in a deep breath, looking up at his mother through a blurred vision. He shook his head before swallowing the painful lump in his throat

'That is partially the reason' He mouthed 'I just don't know why it had to happen. I feel so guilty all the time'

"Do you blame yourself for the accident?"

John slowly lifted his head up and down, not being able to stop the flow of salty drops.

"OH John! It wasn't your fault. You know that don't you? It was an accident! An accident! No one is to blame"

'I want to believe you, but you weren't there'

"Can you tell me what happened? Explain it so I understand"

'We were fighting. Mom wanted me to join the basketball team but I wanted to do band. I didn't feel like signing, and told her to shut up. That's when they both looked at me, disproving my language. And then… the car hit us'

"So you think that because they didn't see the car, then it is your fault?"

'I didn't want to believe it but I kept replaying it in my head, over and over. Until it made sense'

"John. I know you need some reason for why it happened, and blaming yourself is the most reasonable possibility. But the truth of the matter is that these thing happen John. It wasn't your fault"

'I'm sorry'

"Come here"

John leaned into his mother and sobbed uncontrollably. He muffled his mouth on her shoulder, soaking her shirt with his saliva and tears. Amy held her son, and brushed the back of his head soothingly, until his cries subsided. She knew he had been bottling this up inside him and was glad he had wanted to share.

"Amy…" A voice from the hallway called sadly

Amy turned her head releasing her son, to see Ricky standing spellbound, not knowing what to do next.

"What happened? Why are you so late?" Amy asked concerned. She pulled Ricky into the room with her and John. John wiped his eyes, and leaned back into his pillow feeling much relieved.

"Umm" Ricky began, his throat dry "I had a man stop by today, a detective Benington. He was assigned to finding out who caused the crash."

'Detective Benington?' John mouthed

"Do you know him John?" Amy asked

'He asked me a few questions the night of the accident. What did he want Richard?'

"Well it turns out he was able to ID the drunk who crashed into you." Ricky stated flatly

"Well that's great news! Isn't it Ricky?" Amy questioned

"Well we know him Ames. Or I know him. You met him once before. Around your second trimester. He just got released from prison last week for being caught buying drugs on parole fifteen years ago."

"NO" Amy gasped "It can't be!" Amy turned her head away from John so he couldn't see her mouth 'Your father?'

Ricky nodded his head. John's eyes flashed confusion. 'What!' he mouthed, wanting to know who the man was that killed his parents.

"John, do you remember the man I told you about. How he hurt me when I was a little boy?"

'Yea, your father. Why?'

"Well, he died last week in a head on collision. The car went up in flames, and the two adults in the other car were killed instantly. Only a fifteen year old boy lived" Ricky stumbled slowly, trying to reach his point without mentioning who the man really was

'No. Him? That can't be. It can't. It's sick. It's wrong. It isn't fair. He hurt you, got released from prison only to come back and hurt you again? Hurt me again?'

"I don't want to believe it either John. But he's gone. He's dead. There isn't anything we can do. He caused the accident, not you or anyone else. He did it to himself and unfortunately, your parents. Where ever he is, he has to live with that. Not you. Him."

'I'm sorry dad' John mouthed, pulling Ricky in for a hug. Ricky expressed his thoughts to Amy by the fury in his eyes. She nodded and left the room, leaving her fiancé in the arms of her loving son.


	8. Back To Normal I Think

**A/N I know that in this story, Amy and Ricky should live miles and miles away from their parents, but for the sake of my story and the length of plane rides, just pretend they live close by. Sorry if its unrealistic, but I didn't realize until after I had written the chapter.**

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><p>"Yea, we're doing fine under the circumstances." Ricky spoke reassuringly into his cell phone "I'm off to work. Amy's taking the rest of the week off. We don't know when John is going to be ready to go back, but hopefully it will be soon"<p>

"Ask what time they want us over." Amy whispered from the kitchen counter, in between sipping her coffee mug.

"Amy wants to know what time we should come tonight…K I'll tell her. Amy!" Ricky said, covering the speaker with his hand "You're mom said six."

"That should be enough time. Tell her we'll be there."

"Amy says six is fine. You can give word back to Anne. Okay, thanks mom. See you tonight."

Ricky ended his call before slipping the phone back into his pocket. Just then, John walked into the kitchen, showered and dressed.

"Hi Honey. You look nice" Amy said sweetly

John nodded his head and handed his mom his notepad.

"I'm ready to go." Amy read slowly "Go where John"

John signed the word school to his parents. Each day they were learning how to spell a new word. Yesterday's word had been school.

"It's Friday John" Ricky began "You can wait until Monday. We were going to have dinner with your grandparents tonight. You've been with us for two weeks come tomorrow and haven't met any other family members yet."

*Exactly* John wrote on his pad *Its been 2 weeks. I need time to catch up on my work. This weekend is the perfect time to do that*

"Well, Today is my last day off before I go back to work. Lexie told me where your school is. I can give you a ride"

"If you want to go today, that's okay with me. I on the other hand don't get to stay home either way." Ricky said, grabbing his case off the counter and. He kissed Amy on top of the head and patted John's shoulder as he left the room.

John waited for the kitchen's doorframe to rattle from the shock of the closed door before he wrote again.

*I'll need some lunch money.*

"Why don't you grab some breakfast. You know where the cereal is. I'm going to get dressed and then I'll take you."

* * *

><p>Soon Amy and John were in the car. They had stopped to pick up some coffee and donuts. John had eaten all of his and was finishing off the last of his coffee.<p>

Amy patted John's arm and began to speak, trying to keep her eyes on the road. "Go into my purse. There is a twenty dollar bill. That's yours for lunch"

John signed "Thank you" and tucked the cash into his pocket. Amy turned onto a crowded street and made her way into the parking lot. John directed her to the visitor parking and quickly scribbled something onto his paper.

*You need to come in. All my medical forms need to be changed and signed by you and Richard*

It pained Amy to see her fiancé referred to as Richard by their only son but she didn't show her frustration. Instead she simply nodded her head and followed her son into the main doors.

The hallways were basically empty. The few stragglers must have been friends of John for he high-fived almost every student lingering in the hall. Amy trailed behind him, keeping her eye on his red sweater and blue vest. It took a few minutes for John to lead Amy to the office. She signed John in late and sat next to him as they waited to meet with the principle.

A pudgy man with a balding scalp and large neck tie introduced himself to Amy as Mr. Harper and led both John and his mom into an office that read 'Principle'.

"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I just want to sort a few things out before John returns to class. Now you're Amy Jeurgens, correct?" Mr. Harper spoke swiftly signing over his words

"Yes, I am John's birthmother. I take it you were contacted after the accident so you know John is living with me and his father now?"

"Yes, we were all so shocked and distraught. John is a good student here, he is very popular. Such a shame. Do you by chance know sign language?"

"No. but John is teaching me and my husband Richard over time. He apologizes for his absence but he had to go back to work. We have all neglected our responsibilities since the accident. But I assure you, it won't be happening any more. John is going to be here every day, on time."

"That's good to know. I wouldn't expect anything less from our straight A student. Now, Ms. Jeurgens, I just need you to sign this emergency contact form. We are a non-uniform based school however we don't tolerate any gang paraphernalia. Drop off is at 8am and pick up is 2:30pm. Has John given any thought to his extra curriculars? We still have point guard available on the basketball team if he would like to accept the position."

John cleared his throat, gathering the attention of his mother and principle "My parents wanted me to play ball. So I am going to join the team on the only condition that I quit if I hate it and that I don't attend Thursday practises or games. Luke and I have decided to make Thursday's band rehearsal."

"That sounds fair. I will let Coach Michaels know. That is all for now. You can see yourselves out."

Amy followed John out the door and into the foyer outside the office. Amy gave john a light hug before he pulled out his notepad and wrote *I told him I am going to play ball, but attend band practise on Thursday nights. Come get me at 2:30*

Amy nodded her head and left through the closest exit, having to circle the entire building in the cold before finding her car. Amy drove home and cleaned the house. Ricky was home by 2 o'clock, claiming he had been sent home early to enjoy the weekend before returning Monday fresh and focused.

"How did morning drop off go?" Ricky asked Amy undoing his tie and biting into an apple

"Fine, John is really popular. He reminds me of you back in high school. His principle Mr. Harper is really nice. He made me sign a few forms. John has decided to play basketball and continue to play in his band with Luke."

"That's awesome. Sounds like he is making progress. I hope it stays that way."

"I am going to go get him now. Do you want to come?"

"Nah. I am going to shower and get ready for dinner tonight. Does John know?"

"No. I forgot to tell him. He still seemed pretty down about your father and with morning rush, it seemed like too much"

"Just make sure he doesn't jump out of the car when you do. Meeting both our parents is going to be nice and overwhelming"

"I know. Don't worry, It will all work out." Amy said, kissing Ricky as she grabbed her purse.

* * *

><p>Soon Amy was parked in front of John's school, just in time to see him leave the building. John stood at the curb of the parking lot, squinting for a good look at all the cars. Amy felt helpless because she couldn't call his name or honk the horn. Eventually John settled his eyes on Amy and weaved his way through clumps of kids and cars. John hopped into the front seat, laying his bag in between his converse.<p>

"How was your day?" Amy asked

'Fine' John mouthed

"Where is your notepad?"

John turned onto his side and pulled out a crumpled notebook from his pocket and searched his vest for a pen. He handed to utensils to Amy and watched her scribble a lengthy message before passing it back

*We are going out for dinner. We are driving to my mom's house. You are going to meet my parents as well as your dad's foster parents. And my brother Robbie. He is 14.*

*Do we have to?*

*Yes, we have already made plans. So when we get home, go up and change. I laid out a new shirt for you on your bed*

'Fine' John mouthed, forcing an attitude. He threw the notepad onto the dashboard and buckled his seat belt. He felt kind of excited to see where he came from, who was behind the raising of his parents. But at the same time, he was in no mood for a large group of people all eager to show how much they love him.

* * *

><p>By six, Ricky was parked outside of the same home Amy had found out she was pregnant in. Her parents had never moved and were happier than ever now that their problems from years past were resolved. Amy got out of the car first and was greeted by a skinny boy with short brown hair, who was restraining a young white lab.<p>

"Hi Robbie!" Amy squealed "I missed you! Is this your new dog?"

"Amy! Ricky! Yea, this is Buddy! Dad bought him for my birthday after Moose was hit by that car."

"We still feel bad about that Robbie. We know how much you loved him" Ricky said, messing up Robbie's bowl cut.

"We have someone we want you to meet" Amy interjected "This is John. Your nephew"

John walked out from behind the car and made his way in between his parents. He nodded his head towards Robbie and stuck out his hand.

'John' John mouthed, introducing himself

"Hi. You're deaf right?"

John nodded his head, scared to see his uncle's next reaction.

"Cool. Do you want to see my dog? His name is Buddy. By the way, you don't have to call me Uncle Robbie. Rob is fine as long as you call my other sister, Aunt, you should be okay"

"Robbie, John can understand you but make sure you always look at his face so he can see what you are saying, okay?" Amy said sternly

"Come on Ames. Let the boys get aquatinted. We have people to see" Ricky encouraged, pulling his arm around Amy's shoulder. The two walked up to the front door through the crisp November air. The door was unlocked and Amy led her fiancé inside, stomping off a few flakes of snow that stuck to leather boots. Amy's mother Anne ran into the front hall, arms open, calling everyone else to the front of the house. She had an apron tied to her front and a kitchen cloth hanging off her shoulder. The smell of roasted chicken escaped the kitchen, lingering into the hall.

"Amy! Ricky! It's so good to see you! It feels like ages. How are youuu!" Anne released all of her questions and excitement at once, pulling both Amy and Ricky into a group squeeze.

"We're fine mom. I just talked to you last week" Amy answered reassuringly

"Hey there's my girl" George exclaimed, strolling into the hall, hands in his trouser pockets.

"Hi Daddy!"

"So where's the newest addition? He get tired of you two already?" George joked

"No, he's outside with the dog and that guy you call Robbie. Nice choice on a golden retriever this time George" Ricky teased back

"There he is!" Margaret raced into the commotion, wrapping her arms around Ricky then Amy.

"Hi Mom! Where's dad?" Ricky asked

"I'm coming. It is getting harder to keep up with everyone these days. I'm not as young as I used to be." Shakur joked, as he limped into the hall. Ricky calmly gave his dad a light hug, relieved to have both of his parents here to meet his son for the first time.

"I won't break you know" Shakur reassured "Where is John?"

"He's outside with Robbie. We were just about to call him in"

"I'll do it!" George boomed

"No dad!" Amy jumped "You all know about John's disability. He hates calling it that by the way. He sees it as a discomfort rather than restraint. We have decided not to overwhelm him so soon. How about you all go into the living room before we introduce him?"

"Sounds good to me honey. Can you send Robbie in before hand though? He's been outside long enough" Anne asked sympathetically

Ricky and Amy stepped back out into the frigid air and searched the dark lawn for their son. "Robbie!" Amy called, walking towards her brother "Mom wants you inside. We're going to let John meet everyone before dinner"

"Okay! Hey Amy did you know John plays the drums! That's so awesome" Robbie chirped, racing up to his sister

"Yes I did. Now go inside. I want to talk to John"

John followed his mom and dad into the house, relieved to be out of the cold. He brought his bare hands out form his vest pockets and touched his red cheek, cold as ice.

"Now John." Ricky spoke as he pulled off his scarf, stuffing it into the sleeve of coat. "There are four people in the living room you are about to meet. After dinner, Amy's sister Ashley and her boyfriend are driving up as well. Are you okay with all this?"

John nodded his head because he really had no other choice. He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself for lots of physical introductions. Amy disappeared into an adjacent space, and John followed with his dad on his tail.

John tried not to be startled by all the anxious adults sitting nervously amongst two fabric couches around a television and coffee table. He saw his uncle next to two adults holding hands, The woman had red hair, obviously kept up through dye at her age and the man was balding. He had a glum expression that seemed to never go away yet looked fearless and free. John assumed they were Amy's parents as they stood up first, gasping at the sight of their grandson.

"Amy, he's beautiful." Anne exclaimed

John escaped the genetically passed smirk from his tight knit frown. He liked the complement and took a step towards his natural birth parents, sizing them up with his eyes.

"I'm Anne. And this is my husband George. Nice to meet you John"

John felt awkward. He didn't want to be too formal as these were his only living grandparents but didn't know them well enough to reciprocate any loving affection. Luckily, George made the first move and gestured for a firm handshake. John reciprocated the greeting but was smuggled by Anne's emotional hug before he could turn over his attention.

Next it was an older couple who stood up. They had no cultural relation to any one in the room so he assumed they were Ricky's fosters. The elderly man of Indian heritage stood up and shook John's hand wisely, eyeing him up and down before John had the chance to do so himself.

"I'm Shakur. Nice to meet you son"

Son? It had felt like forever since someone had called him that. His adoptive father never even referred to him as his son. His parents had always been focused on the future, making money, succeeding, forcing out competition. They had never been the types to stop for a moment and be taken in by what was in front of them. John missed them very much but their overbearing judgement and drive was something he wouldn't mind having a break from. A permanent break.

John was shot out of his lapse by his father's foster mom. She was signing something rather quickly and had to repeat it for John to grasp

"My name is M-A-R-G-A-R-E-T. Nice to meet you J-O-H-N"

"Hello." John signed, nodding his head in "You sign?"

"I'm a social worker. I picked it up over the years."

"Well now that were acquainted" George interrupted "Dinner is ready. Maybe Margaret can help us all get to know each other a little bit better"

"Sounds like a plan Dad" Amy started "John, you ready to eat?"

John nodded his head and waited until everyone had left the room to sit down and press his hands to his face. Why had this happened? Why had he been adopted? Would it have been too much to ask to stay with his family? These people were so loving and welcoming. He belonged with them. He always had. John needed to find the reason he was given up for adoption. Otherwise, nothing would ever make sense.


	9. When Opportunity Comes Knocking

**A/N Sorry for the long long update. I just started school and exams are coming up. Ill be sure to upload weekly from now on. I'm really proud of how thic chapter turned out. I recently spent almost two hours re reading my entire story 'Here We Go Again'. I know you guys think of me as a good writer, but I wanted to know how you think I can improve. Less detail.. more detail... less dialogue... plz review and let me know what u think :)**

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><p>John wiped the sweat from his forehead as he leaned over to catch his breathe. The game was tied 64 -64 with one minute left in the fourth quarter. This was the first game of the season. John had started practice on Monday and by Wednesday was so ready to quit the team. Basketball was exhausting but the one thing his parents had taught him was to never quit. What kept John going was how easy the sport came to him. He was a sophomore, already point-guard on the varsity team and had scored about 40 of the points on the board.<p>

It had been one week exactly since John had returned to school and three weeks since the crash. Last Friday night, John had met all four of his grandparents and was accompanied to tonight's game by not one parent, but two. Both Amy and Ricky sat in the sixth aisle of the bleachers, watching John in pure amazement. John was totally embarrassed by the fact that he was the only kid who had brought his parents to an away game but was too focused on winning to care at the moment.

John stood at the top of the key with 45 seconds left as the point guard for the other team broke past center line, ball in hand. John ran up to defend his zone. The other player wasn't as skilled at dribbling as John was. The opponents came from a hearing school where as John was able to make up for his hearing loss through his eyes and hands. John had noticed the other boy's flaw in his dribbling near the end of the second quarter during his only rest on the bench. The other kid bounced the ball way out in front of him, compensating for his height and long arms. This left the perfect opportunity for someone as quick and nimble as John to snatch the ball away.

The other player tried to psyche John out, but John was much smarter. He extended his dominant hand, swiping the ball right out from under the lanky opponent and raced up the court performing a stellar lay-up. There was 32 seconds left of the game. John was having severe trouble breathing but knew it was just his body praying for a rest. He couldn't quit now with just half a minute left. The same tall point guard from the other team passed the ball to a short forward right under the net who quickly tied up the game.

John brought the ball down centre and was stopped by a tall giant. That boy couldn't dribble to save his life but boy was he tall. John faked left and went right, having a clear path to the basket. Unfortunately a punk forward stuffed John sending the ball in an awkward spiral out of bounds. The stuff had hurt John's finger which was twitching in pain. The referee gave John one shot with three seconds left. John lined up on the line and took his time bouncing the ball in front of him. He tried to focus on the backboard rather than the pain in his finger but the moment he let go of the ball, he knew it wasn't going in. He hadn't put enough power into his legs and the ball barely reached the net.

John felt his heart sink as the buzzer went off but the ref ordered everyone to stay in their place. He had seen a player on the opposing team cross the line of the key with the toe of his shoe. This called for one more shot. Only Ricky and Amy along with the rest of the boys on the bench cheered. John knew this was his chance. He slowly re gathered his focus through his repetitive bouncing, kneeled back on his ankles while lining the ball up with the net and shot. If John wasn't deaf, all he would have heard was the swish of the net. He felt it either way before being overtaken by his team flooding the court with their voiceless cheers.

* * *

><p>The drive home was a happy one. Ricky and Amy could hardly contain themselves and talked with jittery excitement the whole way home. They waited to once again complement John on his performance until they were out of the car. Once home, everyone made their way into the kitchen for some leftover pizza. Amy could tell John was exhausted from his game but in a teenage boy's eyes, food came before fatigue. As Amy finished off the last of her slice, she noticed the answering machine on the kitchen counter, flashing a bright red.<p>

"Hmm, two new messages. That's unexpected for a Friday night" Amy said as she pressed the center button of the machine.

The first message was from a number no one recognized and a young man's voice played over the tiny speakers. The second message was from a nurse at the hospital.

"_Hi, my name is Adam West. Better known as Coach West, coach of the Central Sabers at Central High Public School. I was at the game tonight scouting players and the Varsity basketball team at Central is really interested in having your son John play for us this season. I talked to his coach to get a little more insight on John's situation and Central high is fully committed to supplying John with any tools he may need while attending a hearing school. If you'd like to talk, please give me a call back, I'll be available all weekend at this number. Thanks and have a great evening_"

"_Hi Ms. Jeurgens, It's Nurse Mandy from the hospital. We did a run down of John's tests and his results are really surprising. We would love if you could bring John and his father in for a meeting tomorrow at noon to discuss all of your options. See you then. Thanks!_"

'What was that all about?' John mouthed, nervously starring at his parents intriguing faces.

"Do you think something was wrong with his tests Ricky?" Amy asked, on the verge of tears

"No. Now she said surprising, not unhealthy. Let's not get all rattled up until tomorrow. We will go to the hospital at noon and find out what's up. Okay. Don't worry" Ricky reassured, pulling Amy in for a hug. She muffled her dry sobs by hiding her face in his chest.

John pounded the counter to get their attention and eagerly signed "WHAT". A word he had taught both of his parents just last week.

"John" Ricky began "We are going to go to the hospital tomorrow, for a meeting with your doctor. They got back your results and want to talk over options with us."

'What's wrong?'

"They didn't say but nothing is wrong. Don't worry. Probably your hand didn't heal properly or something."

"John there's something else" Amy interrupted, clutching her chest with her hand expecting to pass out at any moment "A coach from a public school called. He wants you to attend his hearing school to play ball on the varsity team. He asked us to call him back"

'Call'

"I thought you didn't like playing basketball John" Ricky asked confused

'I don't. But varsity players get scholarships to universities. I won't be accepted to those universities if I come from a deaf school'

"But is it worth struggling through four years around hearing kids" Amy rebuttled, not liking the idea.

'I'm not saying I want to join. I'm not interested in leaving my school. I have friends here, I just want you to call and hear what he has to say'

"I think he should go for it. I was looking at our books last night and I don't know how much longer we can afford to drive to this private school. Central is close by and John could take the bus. Plus it's a great opportunity."

"Fine, Ricky. Call coach West or whatever his name is back and schedule for him to come over tomorrow at two. We'll take it from there okay? Now John, you look exhausted, Let's go to bed"

* * *

><p>Amy. Ricky and John sat in identical blue chairs waiting to be seen by John's new doctor, Dr. Colindale. Their meeting was scheduled for 12 o' clock and it was 11:53 am. The small family waited patiently outside of his office watching employees in white coats and blue scrubs run by, all in a hurry. Eventually a nurse Amy recognized as Mandy from John's x-rays approached the office door.<p>

"Hi guys!" Mandy Chirped "Dr. Colindale is just in a conference call. He'll be with you in a minute." She slightly knocked on the office door before slipping in and closing the door behind her. A moment later she returned and held the door open for the family. They shuffled in and took their seats in the three chairs opposite of Dr. Colindale. Mandy left the room in a scuttle, once again closing the door behind her.

"Hi, Mr. Underwood I take it? We haven't had the chance to introduce ourselves yet. I'm Dr. Ty Colindale. The Doctor who took care of John three weeks prior on the night of the accident." Dr. Colindale introduced himself and shook Ricky's hand before beginning to sign so John could understand as well "When John came in to have his bandages removed, we did a few tests just to see if any damage had been forced upon the skull and brain. I hope I didn't worry you with Mandy's call last night. His tests came back perfect. Nothing is wrong."

"Then why call us in? Mandy said the results were surprising" Amy asked nervously

"They were. It turns out that John's brain isn't making him deaf. He was born with defective ear drums, if you would care to put it that way."

"How does this relate to us?" Ricky searched, concerned

"Well if John's brain isn't the problem, he is a candidate to gain the ability to hear. There is a surgery known as Cochlear Implant where we insert a chip into the area of the brain that controls hearing and give John a hearing aid. Sound carries into the hearing aid and into the brain, allowing him to hear. He will no longer need to sign. Speech Therapy will be provided in the following months. I'll say in two years, it will be almost as if John was never deaf. That is of course if you go along with the surgery."

Ricky, Amy and John sat starring at Ty in disbelief. Their mouths gaped open, absorbing what they had just heard.

"So.. so what you're say-saying is.. is that John doesn't have to be deaf?" Amy comprehended, hesitatingly.

"Nope. Now I'm not saying he is a match for the procedure. He will have to take more tests and meet with multiple staff members of the hospital. Please be reminded that this is brain surgery. John could die on the table, loose the ability to speak, loose his memory and even after the procedure, the device may not work."

"We..we need to think this over Doctor" Ricky spoke softly

"I understand. I scheduled you in for an appointment with the head of Neurology, Dr. Patrick Hill. He will be performing the surgery. As well, here is the number of a great speech therapist. She specializes in teens and works right out of the hospital in the therapy ward. Her name is Dr. Samantha Quine"

"Like the TV show?" Ricky asked unamused

"Spelt with only one N, Mr. Underwood but good connection" Dr. Colindale stood up from his desk and pointed his hand towards the door "Think this over and meet with Dr. Hill. I promise he will give a lot of insight"

* * *

><p>They returned home by 1:43 in the afternoon. Even though they had stopped for lunch on the way home, no one felt like eating. It had been a quiet car ride and was expected to be a quiet afternoon.<p>

"So what do you think Ames?" Ricky asked as he washed the dishes from the morning's breakfast.

"I think John should decide. After all, he will be the one having everything in his life change."

"But the risks babe!"

"I know Ricky! And they scare me to death but there are risks in everything we do. We can't stop living because we're afraid to get hurt"

Just then John interrupted the conversation with a confused look on his face.

"Come" John signed, waiting to see if his parents understood. They did and followed him out into the foyer where a tall, blonde sleaze stood with in a suit and briefcase.

"May I help you?" Ricky asked protectively

"Hi, sorry. John let me in. We spoke on the phone last night. I'm Adam West. Coach of the Central sabers?"

"Oh yes. I'm sorry, I totally forgot you were coming. This really isn't a good time."

"We could re schedule if today doesn't work."

"No, no. Today is fine. Please, let yourself into the living room. I'll be just a moment"

Ricky dashed back into the kitchen where Amy and John were over looking brochures on Cochlear Implants.

"Ames, that coach who called yesterday is in the living room expecting to brag for the next hour over how great his team is."

"Didn't you tell him to come at two?"

"It is two. We just lost track of time"

"Well it isn't like we can turn him away. Come on John. That man you wanted your dad to call is here. He wants to talk"

The three of them made their way into the living room where Coach West had already laid out multiple forms onto the glass coffee table. He stood up and shook hands with Ricky, Amy and even John.

"Sorry to intrude on such short notice but after yesterday's game, I had no choice but to call. Your game yesterday John was amazing!"

"Thank you" John signed.

"So I talked to Coach Michaels and he agrees you should be playing varsity. He feels being the star player with mediocre teammates is only going to hold you back in the long run."

"See the thing here Mr. West, is that John was invited to his school on a scholarship. He is comfortable here because he is with people of his own kind. Throwing him into a public school would not only take a lot of adjusting but we don't feel john is ready for another major change. It has only been three weeks." Ricky condescended

"I'm sorry, three weeks since what?"

Amy knew Ricky wasn't at terms to explain what happened since the accident involved his father so she gently spoke up over the discussion "Three weeks ago, John didn't live with us. He lived with his adoptive parents who we gave John to 15 years ago when we were John's age"

"Teen pregnancy"

"Exactly" Amy continued "Three weeks ago, John was in an accident with his parents and they died. We just recently got custody of John and have just started adjusting to the situation. We don't think any one of us is strong enough to go through another big change at the moment"

"Well it wouldn't be right now. The school capacity is full at the moment but a large group of exchange students are leaving just before Christmas break. I was hoping to have John and his school board hired interpreter in for a test run the Wednesday before break."

"So that would be the 21st of December?"

"Exactly. The 23rd is a half day. No one shows up the 22nd. I would say our best day would be Wednesday. This way John starts Christmas break a little bit earlier and returns in the New Year permitting everything goes as planned"

"Well we are going to need to talk this over" Ricky concluded, standing up "John do you have any questions?"

John frantically scribbled onto his notepad then handed the paper to his mom who read the questions aloud. "John wants to know if he can excuse himself from Thursday practices and games because he has band rehearsal at a friend's house. As well, does playing on a varsity team in a public school help with scholarships to university"

"Well" Coach West began "As long as my assistant coach says Thursday's are okay, and then John should be able to attend band rehearsal. As for the universities, it all depends on your senior year. You keep playing the way you play and I guarantee some great offers come three years from now."

Ricky led Coach West to the door and thanked him for his time before taking yet another pamphlet with instructions to call once a decision has been made.

"Well that was interesting. What do you think John?" Ricky asked, clasping his hands together, excited to be free of all visitors.

'Why did you give me up?' John mouthed

"Why did we what?" Amy asked confused

'You heard me'

"Oh John! I guess we never told you this did we? Well" Amy sat John on the couch and held his hand. He pulled away from her sympathetic touch, not wanting to upset her but to show he needed answers. "We were so young. Giving you up nearly killed me. I cried for days. I couldn't eat. You ask your grandmother and she'll tell you how distraught I was. It took a really long time to get back to the way things used to be"

'I know that. But why? You could have kept me and you didn't'

"Amy" Ricky coughed "I think we should show him the video"

"That's a good idea. Will you go get it Ricky? It's in my jewelry box"

Ricky nodded his head and ran upstairs, shortly returning with a laptop and CD-ROM. He inserted the disc and pressed play. A much younger Amy appeared on the screen in what looked to be a waiting room.

John stared tensely at the screen reading his mother's lips word for word.

"We want what is best for you" the young teen on the screen said through tears "I love you, my mother loves you, my sister and dad love you. My boyfriend Ben who is filming this for you loves you. And I am going to make sure you have all that life has to offer. Well because that's what my parents did for me and I'm going to do for you because… you're my son"

Ricky ended the video still pained at the thought that he was never mentioned in Amy's little speech. John stood up knowing all along why he had been given up. His parents weren't ready. They weren't together and they were scared. He would be too if he was about to father a child.

'I want to join the team' John mouthed before running up to his room to cry into his pillow.


	10. Testing The Waters

**A/N I do not own any of the information on Cochlear Implants, which was provided DIRECTLY from an online source. Citation is below.**

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><p>Amy crept into John's room where he laid sprawled out in his underwear, deep in a dream. She had to resort to flashing his bedroom light on and off, being that he wouldn't hear her wake up call from downstairs. This was all about to change but that didn't help matters of the present. He groaned and grunted pushing himself off of his pillow. Christmas break was in three days and yet he was still being sent off to school. Not just any school that is. Today was the day John tested waters at Central high. He and his parents had been planning this day for weeks, along with the help of Coach West that is.<p>

"John!" Amy shouted, more for her own benefit than his "School!" Amy signed this word being one of the 50 or so words she actually knew. They had been working for weeks together, practicing and communicating with hopes that someday Amy and Ricky wouldn't rely on reading John's lips and vice versa. John checked his calendar on his phone once Amy left the room. Today was definitely the 21st. Four days until Christmas and six weeks since the crash. Christmas Eve would mark the 7th. Things still weren't easy for John but he was making definite progress with his parents. Thinking of the past seven weeks brought John to yesterday's meeting with Dr. Patrick Hill regarding his surgery.

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><p>"<em>If we could all just take a seat" Dr. Hill requested after the formal introductions, "I'd like to get started with explaining the surgery."<em>

_Ricky, Amy and John were in a fairly large office belonging to Dr. Hill. He had called them in for a scheduled meeting, booked by Dr. Colindale. Dr. hill sat behind his desk facing the family. An interpreter who worked in the hospital stood behind him and signed everything he said so John could understand. _

"_Now it says in John's records that he was born deaf. This is a type of deafness known as prelingual deafness. Which means he is eligible for a Cochlear Implant. Now all a Cochlear Implant is, is a device implanted in the brain, which makes deaf people able to hear. The device works like this. Sound is picked up through a tiny microphone in a headpiece that's worn near the ear. The sound is sent along a cable to a processor, which converts sound into digital signals. The digital signals then go to a transmitter. The transmitter, held by a magnet behind the ear, sends the coded signals via radio waves across the skin to the implant. The implant delivers the signals to electrodes that have been inserted into the cochlea (part of the brain). The electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve, sending impulses to the brain where they are interpreted as sound."_

**"Cochlear Implants". Ear Surgery. Org. 2011. Ear Surgery Information Center. Jan 15 2012**

"_Any Questions?"_

"_So what your saying is, is that sound goes into some sort of microphone, gets converted into signals, which run into the brain to electrodes that affect the hearing nerve?" Ricky asked, testing how well he had followed._

"_Precisely"_

"_How long does it take?" Amy asked quietly, absorbing all the information being thrown at her._

"_The operation itself takes just under two hours. We then test to see if the implant was successful about 4 weeks later."_

"_Well what do you think John?" Ricky questioned, turning his attention to his son._

"_I think it sounds good. I need more information but I'm seriously considering it"_

_Dr. Hill went on to explain how the procedure worked and what would happen afterwards. He made sure John was aware of the fact that this wasn't a cure to his being deaf because the hearing aid was removable and he wouldn't be using it all of the time. By the end of their two-hour meeting, the decision was unanimous. John would go ahead with the surgery. Dr. Hill penciled them in for February 6th. The day after John's sixteenth birthday._

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><p>John was pulled from his daydream by his dad who was signing, "Come! Come! School!" John nodded his head annoyed. He knew how to tell time, why did they constantly nag him? He quickly hopped in the shower with 23 minutes until it was time to leave. Coach West wanted John to take the bus today, just to see if there were any hagglers who wanted to give him a hard time. If anyone spoke to him, John was to nod his head and pretend he had lost his voice. It wasn't a hard job but John didn't think it would suffice if someone wanted to throw him under the bus or feed him into lockers.<p>

"Where is this kid? He is slower than slow on the one day he needs to be early!" Amy ranted to Ricky, who was lost in an article in the paper.

"Huh?" Ricky asked dazed

"I am here!" John signed, trying to please his mother's fiery wish to run his life.

"No Food! No Time! John!" Amy spoke, signing the words she knew and enunciating those she didn't "Bus here"

"Muffin?" John pleaded

"Fine. Take it and run. And come here!" Amy said, calling John back into the room before he could make his escape "Have a great day. I love you. We don't say that enough" Amy apologized, referring to Ricky "but we do"

John nodded his head and bolted for the front door. His black Jansport was lying next to the closest, filled with everything he needed for his first day along with his drum sticks and Ipod. As he was stepping out the door, John felt a vibration in his pocket and slid open his phone as he stood at the curb, awaiting the bus.

_To John from Luke_

_How goes the new school?_

_To Luke from John_

_I havent started yet. Waiting for the bus. Ill text u lunch. Let me know what goes down Spark_

_To John from Luke_

_Will do! Try not 2 forget us._

_To Luke from John_

_Impossible! GTG bus is here_

_To John from Luke_

_See ya!_

John waited for the bus to pull up in front of him. The driver looked annoyed to be having to make an extra stop on his already busy route but just nodded John onto the bus before pulling out into the street once more. John tried to look cool and nonchalant where on the inside he was shaking. The seats at the front were filled with a bunch of kids who looked younger than John and must have been ninered there for the rest of the year. This meant John had to walk to the middle of the bus to find an empty seat. Aside from him, there was only one other student who sat alone. This girl looked to be John's age but looked strangely familiar. She gave John the once over with her sparking blue eyes before pulling up her hood and fading into her ear buds. John sat down in an empty seat and slithered towards the cold, fogged window all while rattling his brain for some sort of facial connection.

The world around him was silent as usual. The kids on the bus must have been screaming and shouting and swearing but if they were John couldn't tell. He saw no one, sitting so low in his seat and wanted to keep it that way for the rest of the day. Once at school, John was to report to the office, that being he could find it without asking for help, then enter a meeting with Coach West, the principle and his interpreter fresh out of school. John thought it would help pass the time if he could think of all the other things he would rather do but lost his chance as the bus came to a flailing halt. Kids started to stand and seeing that they were parked outside of a school much bigger than his own, John figured they were here. He was the last one off the bus, trying not to notice all the disapproving stares that were sent his way. He gave nod to the driver, thanking him for the ride and hopped down the three steps at the door of the bus.

He stood there, not wanting to move but realized he needed to find the office and fast, being that he didn't know what time the bell rang. As John crawled up to the front doors, dodging the few late comers that sprinted their lives away running for the doors, it began to snow. John shook not only from the cold but from what he was about to discover inside the walls of public school. John would have given nothing more than to be back at his own school or even better, home, with his parents. His birth parents.

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><p>The hallways were empty, already littered with crumpled paper and wet boot marks. It was official John was late but he figured it wouldn't matter too much. After what seemed like 20 minutes of confused pacing, John found a school map bolted to the wall of a staircase and realized he wasn't far from the office. John ran into the hallway on his right, so focused on finding the right door that he wasn't cautious when turning a sharp corner. John collided with the same girl from the bus and that's when it hit him. He did know this girl! It was the same girl from the grocery store. Julie! Or..or Jamie! This was bad. It had been weeks since they had met. John still couldn't pretend to be sick. He helped Jamie pile up her stack of papers before grabbing his bag and dizzily running off.<p>

He was too late though and saw Jamie say his name before he turned out of sight.

John entered the office out of breathe and relieved. He had dodged a bullet but knew it was coming back. Maybe it was possible for him to stay in hiding until February. John was greeted by Coach West and a tall red haired man with glasses in a navy suit.

"Here we are. Mr. Conners, I'd like you to meet John Underwood." Coach West exclaimed excitingly, slapping John on the back.

"L-E-W-M-A-N" John signed, correctively

"Come again?"

John gave a deep sigh and began to pull a notepad out of his bag.

".No John. No need for that here. We have your interpreter in that room over there. Why don't you go on ahead and Mr. Conners and I will catch up" Coach West falsely encouraged, pushing John towards the closest door.

"He seems to be in good shape. Bit on the short side for a pro but I trust your judgment" Mr. Conners whispered to Coach West.

"Wait till you see him sir! He's going to make Central a winner. I can feel it!"

John walked into the smaller office and was greeted by a young man maybe 8 years older than him. The man introduced himself as Michael Young.

John signed back asking "Are you my interpreter?"

Michael nodded his head and shook John's hand "Nice to meet you" Michael motioned for John to take a seat just as Mr. Conners entered the room.

"So John" Mr. Conners began, pulling on his reading glasses as he sat down in his leather office chair. Coach West stood next to the door, leaning on the frame crossing his red sleeved arms, grinning like an idiot "How are we today?"

John saw Michael signing from his spot in the room "It's okay. I lip read. Just translate when I talk"

Michael nodded his head and leaned back in his chair ready to be of assistance at any time.

"My name is John Lewman sir. Not John Underwood. Coach West was mistaken"

"I'm sorry about that John. We will need to fix that on your file here. L-e-w-m-a-n" Mr. Conners mumbled to himself, as he jotted down the correct spelling onto a sticky note.

"So you're here to play basketball? Coach West claims you're a rare talent. Our point guard recently was moved out of state and we have been living with his substitute for the past few weeks. His name is James Bayne. He is a senior. Coach West is going to call a team meeting after school and you'll get to meet him then. Now we printed out your schedule and practice times. Thursdays are marked out as you can see here" Mr. Conners handed John a black and white photo copied calendar. John noted to have a look at it later so he wouldn't loose track of what Mr. Conners was saying. "The bell rings at 8:15. You need to be in class by 8:20. We have told all of your teachers about your switch over to central and Michael here knows all of your class times. Michael will be staying with you all day and every day until he is no longer needed. You decide when that will be. Your grades look good. Mr. Harper had nothing but great things to say about you – rghh Coach West, why does John have music fourth period?"

"I play the drums. I asked for music"

"Well. Okay then. Mr. Lewman – we're all done here. Welcome to Central!"

Michael and John were hurried out of the office. Coach West showed Michael where to bring John after school and the two were left alone.

"I just need you to help others hear me. Don't lead me around or show me what rooms are where. It is only going to attract more attention. You're not my interpreter, you're theirs okay?"

Michael nodded his head and stepped 15 paces back, promising to follow and not lead. John took out his schedule and began to scope the walls for room 115. English. It was still first period but not for much longer. Just as John located his first class, the bell rang and a sea of students filled the hallways. John waited for students from his home room to leave before making his way in to find the teacher. She was a tall, skinny lady with long dark hair, erasing chalk from the board, when she noticed John in the door way.

"Yes?" she asked politely "Oh! You must be John! Mr. Conners said you would be arriving late. I'm Ms. Meyha."

John walked into the room, waving for Michael to follow him.

"So nice to meet you. Now, Mr. Conners told me everything as I'm sure you already know. I would just like to be the first to welcome you to Central and to let you know that there is no need to be nervous or shy in here. It is English, and my goal here is to make everyone comfortable with their talents and skills and just who they are as creative beings. Doesn't matter if we're hearing or deaf, seeing or blind, we are all equal in here"

"That's nice to know. Thank you" John signed, expecting Ms. Meyha to look nervously at Michael for some clarification. Instead her eyes didn't leave John, she simply just nodded her head and signed back "I understand ASL, I'm hoping that helps a little bit"

John smiled at the thought that he wouldn't need Michael's help the entire day and already knew he was going to like English class. John found his next class within minutes, in a much better mood than before. He went through the day introducing himself to his classmates and teachers. A few kids didn't seem to approve of him and tried making stupid faces in his direction which he just ignored. There was no use getting wound up over the losers when all the winners were trying so hard to make him feel welcome. By 12:30 it was time for John's lunch. He told Michael to get lost and reassured him they would meet at 1:10 for seventh period.

John sat down at an empty table near the large window of the cafeteria. Amy had packed him lunch for his first day which he was grateful for. All the new introductions had been stressful and John had worked up quite an appetite. John was fully engrossed in his sandwich and was just about to start on his second half when a large pile of textbooks slammed down on the table, startling him and making his chip bag fall to the floor. John turned his head upwards to see Jamie, the bullet from earlier, starring him down, fuming mad.

**A/N I hope you guys don't hate me for bringing John into a new school. I kinda like where the story line is heading... so if you have any suggestions or ideas, i will consider them as im only one chapter ahead of what's published at the moment. Thanks for all the support. Keep reading and reviewing cuz I'm loving all the comments 3!**


	11. Jamie

**A/N Hey Guys! I had exams at school which explains why I haven't updated in forever. I am currently juggling 4 stories. THATS RIGHT FOUR! In less than a month I will be publishing the first chapter of 'Adjusting', the continuation of 'Here We Go Again'. Super excited for that, hope you guys are too! I just wanted to know who has seen the trailer for Secretlife, coming March 26th 2012. I am super excited but kind of thrown back at the spoilers... yes spoilers... that are claming Amy MIGHT be pregnant again. If so... I'm deffinitly re reading 'Here We Go Again'. This chapter is focused on John. I know you are all obsessive Ramy fans, as am I but I prmise next update there will be some major Ramy decisions made. So.. if you want those to come sooner than later.. you got to read and REVIEW. I'm only getting a small feedback per chapter and as much as I love writing and won't stop until Im ready.. It does feel really nice to be reviewed because your feedback means the world to me. Plz plz review, critique, bash, so whatever you need to do to feel like your opinions and hopes for this story are shared. Thanks so much! **3

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><p>"You lied to me!" Jamie said in a sad voice making John flinch back. Her expression spoke louder than her words. "You weren't sick. You're deaf!"<p>

John wondered how she knew this being that he had made sure she wasn't in any of his classes. There was no use denying it so John sadly hung his head and nodded. He refused to look at her, knowing that he held the key to a proper conversation. Jamie grabbed his chin, as she sat down next to him, forcing him to look at her. Once again John was over taken by her big blue eyes and crisp golden hair.

"Do you remember me?"

John nodded his head and leaned down to pick up his bag. He was going to once again, win her over with a pen and paper. To his surprise, Jamie laid her hands over his, stopping him. She let go and signed "J-A-M-I-E" John looked at her in surprise.

"So I know sign language. Big deal. You're not the only person who does John."

"I know, I just didn't expect – "

"You didn't expect me? Or my signing? Well I didn't expect you either. What are you doing here?"

"I was eating lunch..."

"Here at Central, John"

"I got transferred" John looked at Jamie realizing his answer wasn't good enough to fulfill her request "I'm the new starting point guard on the basketball team"

"So you're the new guy I keep hearing about"

"Me?"

"Yes, you're replacing Brad Bayne, the guy who took over before you got here. He's upset that you're taking his place, so he's faking an injury."

"Oh.."

"Yeah… How old are you anyways?"

"15. Soon to be 16, you?"

"15. AP?"

"Of course. I get pretty good grades, I'm not an idiot just because I'm… you know…"

"I never said you were!" She said defensively, "...but something has to be pretty screwed up if you thought lying to me was a good idea."

"I didn't know what to do! I was embarrassed… I've never talked to such a pretty girl before."

"Flattery will get you nowhere… but don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, if it's any consolation. I didn't think anyone could be so understanding after meeting someone so different."

"You need to give people a chance John. How else are you supposed to make friends?"

"I don't need friends."

"Everyone needs friends John"

"Do you? You seemed pretty comfortable sitting alone on the bus."

"Yeah well... I'm different." Jamie signed slowly, "I'm an exception." John raised an eyebrow at this. "It'll be easier for you…"

"Nothing comes easy to me. Maybe I'm different too. You don't know the first thing about me."

John quickly threw the remainder of his half eaten lunch back into his lunch bag before standing up from the table in a hissy. He figured Jamie was calling out to him but it didn't matter. He couldn't hear her and he was already out of the cafeteria doors before she could follow him. John ran up to the second floor and began scouting lockers for his own. Michael had showed him his locker after third period but the hall registered a blank in John's mind. Everything about this new school was plain and forgettable. He hated it and wish he had never come.

John had to run his digits across the dial of his lock three or four times before he finally got it right. He swung open the metal door, letting a photo he had taped to the inside catch his eye. It was a photo of his adoptive parents and him at his last birthday party. Amy had taken it out of one of his albums and given it to him the night before for good luck. It was times like these that John wanted to scream and cry and make everything the way they used to be. Every day was a little bit easier but sometimes the memories were so vivid, he felt like collapsing.

John sat with his back against his locker for the longest time, begging himself not to cry. He had done enough of that and frankly was quite tired of it. It didn't dawn on John until Michael entered his hallway exhausted that he was late for seventh period history.

"What are you doing? It's 1:18, I was waiting."

"I'm sorry" John signed, sniffling

"Hey!" Michael said concerned, slipping down beside John "What's wrong?"

"She thinks she knows everything!"

"Who?"

"Jamie!"

"Who's Jamie?"

"Some girl who goes here. We met before and I lied, saying I couldn't speak because I had a cold, not because I was deaf"

"I take it lunch didn't go so well?"

"Do you ever feel like you have everything so under control and then the next minute it's all gone. Like it was never there in the first place?"

"Yes and No. I remember feeling a lot like that when I was your age but I mean, it comes with territory of being a teenager. Everyone goes through it"

"Not like I do."

"Care to tell me what's up?"

"It wouldn't change anything if I did."

"Well when you're ready, I'm here"

"Of course you are." John signed condescendly, "You have to be. It's your job"

"Not to me it isn't. Now come on. Your teacher's waiting to introduce you to the class."

Michael led John back downstairs and into history class. To John's disappointment, but not surprise, Jamie was there. The teacher seated John into the only empty seat next to Jamie and he prayed there wouldn't be any group assignments. Last period was Gym. This was the only class of the day that John needed Michael's assistance in learning instructions. Today the boys were starting on 5 mile runs. Running came easy to John and he was so relieved to be able to have some time to think while doing something he loved. John's teacher was astounded by his time of 23 minutes and gave all the other kids a good kick in the ass for not trying hard enough. This didn't exactly settle in well with the boys in his class and wasn't shocked to see them mumble an interesting choice of words his way in the change room.

John stayed in the gym and waited for all the boys from his team along with Coach West to arrive for their meeting. It took the team a good ten minutes to settle down. They sat in a group in the middle of the hard gymnasium floor and starred up at their coach who apprehensively scanned John with his eyes while waiting for silence.

"So Coach." A bulky senior began "Where's my replacement? He get lost finding his way?"

"No Brad He's right here" Coach West rebuttled, shifting his direction towards John "His name is John and as you all remember from our meeting last week, John is deaf"

"So he doesn't talk?" The bully known as Brad questioned stupidly

"I sign" John signed

"Come again?" Brad asked disgusted

"John signs and lip-reads Brad." Coach West remarked

"Oh! You mean like this?" Brad joked, as he lifted his hands and made unreadable gestures with his hands for fun, all while moaning and sticking out his tongue

"Enough of that!" Coach West boomed "John is your team mate now. He's here mainly because of you Brad. If you weren't such an asshole, you wouldn't be benched for the rest of the season. John is a great player. Better than half of you here. So I would watch it. Doesn't matter if he is deaf or not. You treat him and all your teammates with respect or else you're off the team got it? This goes for everybody. Not just Brad. Are we clear?"

The boys stayed silent. Brad hung his head between his legs.

"I thought so. Now practice resumes the first day back from Christmas break. Now all of you.. Scram. Have a good Christmas!"

The team shot up from their circle on the floor, pushing and shouting their way out into the hallway. Coach West waited for the silence of the large dome to resume before he turned over to John.

"I'm sorry about him John."

John simply shrugged his shoulders. Angry yet unfazed

"He will come around once he sees how good you are."

John nodded his head and shook Coach West's hand. "See you next year" John mouthed, as he limply made his way upstairs to his locker. He grabbed his coat and started on his long trek home. The bus had already left and John didn't want to have to deal with Jamie again. Unfortunately, the universe had different ideas.

John was about half way home when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Startled, he turned around to once again find Jamie shattering his single existence.

"Im sorry" She signed

"You don't know me. We aren't friends. Nothing to apologize for" John turned around, expecting her to follow but hoping she wouldn't. Jamie ran up to his side anyways despite his effort to remove himself from her presence.

"I was insensitive today at lunch. I guess I figured we were friends. Like I knew you or something. Commenting on your social status was stupid. It is different for you. I should have seen that."

"You talk like you know me. It is really annoying"

"I want to get to know you."

"Why?"

"Because… you aren't John the freak who can't hear. You are John, the adorably cute guy from the store"

"Im the same guy from that day. I may not be the person I was 2 months ago, but I'm the same guy from that day. I have parents to prove it"

Jamie let out a giggle that erupted beneath John. Talking to her made him nervous.

"Do you mind if we start over?" Jamie signed, sweetly

John paused for a moment and let his genetically perfect smirk escape his frown before signing "Who are you again?"

"My name is Jamie." Jamie signed, releasing another strong grin

"John. I think we have history together."

"Yea. You're the guy who sits next to me. How do you like Central so far?"

"Its okay. You were right about Brad. He is a jerk"

"You met him?"

"Three seconds into the team meeting and he already finds a way to totally embarrass me"

"He's like that. But like I said before, he'll come around"

"How do you know him so well?"

"We sort-of used to date. Or he tried to date me. We went out a couple times but I broke it off after realizing he was such a jerk. He's not that bad though and we've managed to stay friends"

"So you're not interested in him then?"

"No! Of course not. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering..." John smiled at the confusion thrust upon Jamie's face and came to a sudden halt outside the entrance to a new subdivision. "This is my street"

"I live a few blocks down. Are your parents' home?"

"My dad's at work and my mom's out with her friend who's a doctor. She wants to find out more information on my surgery"

"Surgery?"

"I guess I didn't tell you. In February, I'm scheduled to have get a Cochlear Implant"

"Meaning?"

"Im going to get a device planted in my brain that lets me hear. So I won't need to sign or lip-read. I'll be able to play the drums better and do all the things I normally can't"

"You can do anything you want to.. hearing or not"

"I know that but…"

"But nothing"

"Why are you getting so defensive?"

"I'm not... It's just you should know you're fine the way you are"

"I do know that. Who are you to speak for me? You just met me. There's a lot you don't know... Here you go again acting like you do"

"Like what? What am I not seeing? What aren't you telling me now?"

"Telling you would only make everything worse."

"Then I guess this is goodbye."

"Guess so…" The two teens stood in two appalled stances, pushing each other down with their fiery rage. Even John could hear the silence. "Have a good Christmas" John signed as he turned away from Jamie and onto his street. He didn't look back.

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><p><strong>AN I am in love with Jamie and John. I personally think they are the next Ramy.. but that is up to you... Any couple names in mind?**


	12. 3 2 1

**A/N I know it has been over a month since my last upload. I was swamped. But March break is here and I'm home for 10 days, so I plan on writing. A LOT. My hope is to have this story done by June but I don't know if I'll make it in time. As for right now, one more chapter is done and published and I really hope you like it.**

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><p>"I'm sure John would love to come over for New Years" Amy chirped into her cell phone as she entered the kitchen, looking for a pen.<p>

John sat at the kitchen table, eating a sandwich he had prepared and shot Amy a glance of confusion "Who is it?" John signed between bites

Amy placed the phone in between her shoulder and right ear and signed "L-U-K-E Mom"

John nodded his head in acceptance and went back to his food.

"So Saturday at five? Okay Lexie. See you then! – Yep Bye!" Amy removed the phone from her ear and ended the call "John" Amy waved "You are going to Luke's house this Saturday"

John stood up from his place at the table "New Years?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No. I just thought you wanted me here"

"Honey, of course we do. But Luke offered and you two do complain you don't spend enough time together. You'll have fun. Don't you think?"

"Yea… Sure"

With a toss of her hair, Amy was out of the room and downstairs in the basement. The basement was where Amy practiced her French horn and where John rehearsed with Luke whenever he came over.

In all honesty, John wasn't exactly thrilled to be spending the night with Luke. Luke was another person who wasn't in full support of his decision to get an implant. Luke's mother didn't have the money being a single parent and all and Luke was very comfortable being deaf. He always had been. John had also enjoyed bonding with his parents over the break. It would be a full 9 weeks since the crash come Saturday and with each passing day, John was finding more ways to move on.

John laid on his bed, lost in his own thoughts. His phone sat on his chest and slowly moved up and down as he breathed. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept flashing back to Jamie and what had been said that day on the street. John thought Jamie would have caved in by now and sent him a text apologizing, but she hadn't and each day, the chances that she would grew slimmer and slimmer.

Saturday rolled around sooner than John expected it would have. John waited at the door with his bag filled with everything he would need, slung over his shoulder. Ricky was fumbling around in the kitchen looking for his keys when Amy walked up to John to bid him a goodbye.

"Have a nice time okay? This is your first night away from us since you moved in. you can call at any time if you want to come home"

"I'll be fine mom" John signed reassuringly

"Okay! I found them" Ricky called, jogging back into the front foyer, "They were in my coat the whole time!"

"Find Keys?" John asked, anxious to leave

"Uhh. Yes. You ready?"

John nodded his head and opened the front door. An icy cold wind blew into the warm home along with some small flurries. Amy pulled her cardigan up to her neck in defense from the breeze.

"Bye!" Amy chimed, pulling John in for a hug

"See you next year" John joked, before pulling free and running to the car.

"He'll be fine Ames. You'll see" Ricky whispered, tugging on his winter boots.

"I know. Come straight home okay? With John gone, there are a few things we need to discuss"

"Do these things involve champagne and caviar?"

"Don't they always?" Amy replied, seductively. Ricky pecked Amy on the lips before chasing after his son. Amy watched from the door as her fiancé and son drove off down the road.

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><p>Ricky pulled the car up in front of Luke's house at a quarter to 5. John sat in the passenger's seat with his duffle bag stuffed between his legs. Across the street, sat a mini van parked in the driveway of John's old house. Ricky followed John's depressing gaze to a window above the garage.<p>

"Do you miss it sometimes?" Ricky signed, after grabbing John's attention by tapping his shoulder

"Of course. My entire life was here. Or what I can remember"

"You don't have to this you know" Ricky informed, titling his head towards Luke's house.

"I know. But I need to. I'll be okay"

"If you want to come home, we are only a phone call away."

John pursed his lips together and nodded simultaneously before pulling his bag into his lap. "See you tomorrow"

"Bye son" Ricky whispered as he watched his son push open the car's door

"Bye" John weakly signed back. His eyes were sad, his face solemn. John started to raise his hand to his forehead, the sign for dad. But he stopped himself short and quickly signed R-I-C-K-Y before stepping out of the car and running for the door to Luke's house. Ricky watched John disappear behind the large glass window of the door and ran his hands over his face in frustration. The images of the past nine weeks came rushing back. Ricky hated himself for making the decision fifteen years ago to let his son go. He balled his right hand up into a fist and smacked the head rest of the seat next to him. But he wasn't angry enough to deny the pain from entering his hand and swore in agony before pulling out into the road.

* * *

><p>Amy waited by the fireplace in the living room. After Ricky had left to drop John off at Luke's, she had changed into a black laced night gown that stopped at her thighs. Amy re did her makeup and curled her hair ever so slightly. She pulled on her white robe before running downstairs to set up the living room. She lit candles and molded the pillows that usually were scattered over the room into a cozy nook in front of the fireplace. Amy brought in caviar, crackers and chocolate along with two champagne glasses and their finest bottle. All there was left to do was wait.<p>

* * *

><p>Ricky walked through the door at exactly 5:30, in a rush because he assumed Amy was waiting. Ricky quickly flipped off his shoes and dashed halfway up the staircase calling Amy's name as he pulled off his jacket.<p>

"In here" Amy replied, directing Ricky to the living room

Ricky walked in heavily breathing and placed his jacket on the arm of one of the couches.

"Hey" Ricky said slowly, lowering his voice to match the energy of the room "What's all this?"

"Just a little something I did while you were gone," Amy said, putting a little tease into her voice.

Ricky sat down next to Amy on the pile of pillows and watched as she leaned her back against a column of the fireplace. Amy handed Ricky the champagne bottle along with a corkscrew, which he used to open the bottle effortlessly.

"How did drop off go?" Amy asked, handing Ricky the two empty glasses she had set out

"The usual I guess" Ricky mumbled, shrugging his shoulders while he poured "I keep waiting for this break through where he is going to tell me how he is feeling but it never comes. I don't think he was too thrilled to be going over there tonight"

"I feel the same way. He keeps to himself so much I feel like I'm doing something wrong"

"Everyone we've talked to says this will pass"

"I know but –"

"No buts." Ricky interjected, setting his and Amy's champagne on the mantle "tonight, I really want to focus on us. John is fine. Things aren't as great as they could be, and I'm tired of trying to come up with solutions on how to make it better. It is just you and me. Let's enjoy it"

"Lets enjoy it" Amy repeated quietly allowing Ricky to pull her to her feet. Ricky brought Amy into his arms and starred confidently into her eyes.

"You're beautiful. You know that?" Ricky said, barely above a whisper

"Ssshh" Amy commanded, pushing her lips onto Ricky's. He loudly breathed through his nose, his heart starting to pound. Amy wrapped her hands around Ricky's neck, pushing her waste against his. Ricky grunted and started to lead Amy towards the couch.

"No" she ordered, breathlessly

Ricky nodded his head and broke their kiss, grabbing Amy's right hand as he guided her out of the living room. Amy followed Ricky up stairs and stopped anxiously as Ricky turned towards her, right outside their bedroom door. Ricky took Amy's face in his hands and slowly kissed her lips. Amy felt her knees weaken and grabbed onto Ricky's shoulder, leaning into him. Ricky pushed open the door with his left hand before receiving Amy as she jumped onto him, crossing her legs behind his back. Ricky carried Amy inside before kicking the door shut behind him.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for dinner Lexie" John signed as he handed his plate off to Luke's mother who was cleaning the table<p>

"You are very welcome John" Lexie signed back, smiling at her son's friend from across the kitchen "Luke, why don't you and John head downstairs. When I'm done here, I'll bring down some ice cream"

"Sure" Luke replied before patting John's shoulder, commanding him to follow. The boys took the basement stairs two at a time and entered a dark space which immediately lit up when Luke clapped his hands revealing a couch, two bean bag chairs and a television.

"New lights?" John signed as he fell into the blue beanbag chair across from the green one Luke was seating himself in.

"I don't know. My mom's idea."

"Their cool"

"I guess"

"So tell me…" John signed casually "What are they like?"

"Who?"

"Your new neighbours. The ones who took my house"

"They didn't take it. They bought it. And they're okay. They aren't outside that much but they have a four year old girl."

"Is she deaf?"

"How should I know?"

"I don't know! I'm just wondering"

"Well cut it out. It's annoying"

"I didn't know you were so sensitive to being asked questions"

"I'm not!" Luke signed appalled

"Then what is it? You've had your back up all night!"

"Why should you care if the people who move in here are deaf or not. It's not like you care anymore"

"What makes you say that?"

"You're going to a hearing school, in a hearing community with hearing parents and hearing friends and pretty soon you're not even going to be deaf yourself!"

"So that's what this is about. I knew if I came over tonight, you were going to bring this up. You know what Luke? The implant doesn't fix my hearing okay? Without the hearing aids, I'll be just as screwed up as you"

"So that's what you think I am? Screwed up?"

"No" John signed flatly, wishing he had chosen a better choice of words

"Is that what your new school is teaching you? That we're all freaks? Maybe your girlfriend would like to meet me and take photos. Then show them off and tell everyone the circus has come to town"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"You talk non stop about her. Are you sure?"

"Yes!" John signed, getting up from his chair "and maybe I talk about her a lot because you are my friend and I thought I could tell you stuff without being judged for it. You know I don't think of you as a freak and you know I value our deaf culture just as much as you do. I don't know where you get off being mad at me for stuff I had no control over. I have no one. I thought I could count on you. But I guess I was wrong"

John turned away from Luke and bolted up the basement stairs, almost crashing into Lexie who was carrying a tray with three bowls and a tub of ice cream. He side stepped around her and grabbed his winter Jacket from the front closet before entering the frigid New Years Eve air and slamming the front door behind him. Luke ran up after his friend but was stopped by his mother who handed him the ice cream tray and pushed him into the kitchen, ready to know everything that was going on.

* * *

><p>Amy laid her head on Ricky's bare chest, which he lovingly stroked with his right hand as he sat propped up against the headboard of their bed.<p>

"I've missed you" Amy mumbled as she snuggled in closer to her fiancé

"And I've missed you. Can you believe it's been only nine weeks? It felt like an eternity!"

"I know, John has made time go so slowly"

"I was talking about how long it's been since we've slept together but I guess he had a large part in that huh?"

"Hmm" Amy mumbled, as she lifted her head "You know what I was thinking?"

"What's that?"

"I'd like to have another one"

"Well okay then" Ricky smirked, about to roll on top of Amy

"No. Ricky. I mean, I want another baby"

Ricky froze, startled. He rolled back over and pushed himself up, now sitting at a 90-degree angle. Amy slid off him and sat up as well, holding the thin bed sheets against her bare chest.

"What brought this on?" Ricky asked confused

"Everything I guess. I've been realizing how much we missed with John and we are still so young I-"

"Amy, I'm 32 years old!"

"And I'm almost 31. What's your point?"

"Are we ready? I mean with John just getting settled, and learning to sign. I mean what if the baby was born deaf. It's a major possibility considering John was."

"Would it be so bad if it was? I'm not saying I've thought all of this out. I'm just saying I want one and I don't think it's because of John"

"So you mean, you've been thinking about having a baby since before we got engaged? Well Jeez Amy! Why didn't you tell me? Wait. Why are you telling me? What brought this on?"

"Tell me you won't get mad."

"I can't promise that. Tell me what's wrong"

"Nothing is wrong" Amy said, pushing her bangs behind her ear "It's just…"

"Just what?"

"I'm late."

* * *

><p>Luke opened the front door and zipped up his jacket as he scanned the street for John. He slowly closed the door behind him and walked across his front lawn, sitting down next to a huddled figure that rested on the curb.<p>

"I'm sorry" Luke signed when John finally looked at him.

"For what?" John replied glumly "I'm the world's biggest jerk remember?"

"No you're not. I was just mad. I said things I shouldn't have said"

"Did you come to this realization on your own? Or did your mom help?"

"You've been sitting out here for half an hour. What do you think?"

"I just don't understand why you are so upset. Is it because of my new school or am I not giving you enough attention? What?"

"It's not any of those things. I'm just jealous."

"Jealous of me? Why in the world…"

"Because you've got the nice house and the rich parents and the cool friends"

"Luke. Those kids at my new school are mean. They could never replace you or anyone else from Spark. And I would give up my nice house in a heartbeat just to be back here. You have your mom. I don't have either one of my parents."

"You're wrong John. You have both"

"But that doesn't change the fact that I wish things were still back to the way they were. Before that night"

"I know. But aren't you a little relieved to know one day you'll be able to hear?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to hear. I like being deaf. It defines me. I'm only doing this because my parents think the world of this surgery. They want to learn to sign and I'll make sure they will but at the same time I know they wish we didn't have to."

"Still"

"And the risks are insane. I could die in surgery or have brain damage and even the surgery is okay, the device might not work and if it does, I need months of therapy afterwards to learn how to use it"

"Are you scared?"

"Terrified"

"You don't need to be. Everything will work out. I can feel it"

"I know. And in a way, I feel like I need this. I need a fresh start"

"Well there is no better time to get one than on New Years Eve"

"I'm sorry"

"Me too"

"It's freezing out here. You want to go in?"

"After you"


	13. Back To Reality

Ricky scooped the last piece of french toast out of the frying pan with his spatula and threw it onto a large platter brimming with food. He turned off the gas on the stove and brought the platter over to Amy who was starring down the empty plate that Ricky had forced in front of her. After setting the breakfast down in between them, Ricky walked around the kitchen island and took his seat next to Amy.

"Come on Ames" Ricky whispered, as he pushed a fallen strand of hair back behind Amy's ear "You need to eat something"

"I know" Amy sniffled, lowering her hands from her cheeks and crossing her arms over the counter "I'm just not very hungry"

"It's going to be okay. Just because you got your period doesn't mean we won't get pregnant. We have all the time in the world"

"I know that" Amy whined, not caring how loud she got because it didn't matter "but I wanted a baby now"

"And you'll still want a baby in three weeks from now when we try again okay?"

"But what if it never happens?" Amy cried, breaking out into a similar set of tears that had been waking Ricky up each morning for the past three days

"It will! It will! I promise you!" Ricky soothed, rubbing his left hand up and down Amy's lower back

Amy reached over and pulled Ricky in for a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder and took shaky breaths, trying to calm down. Just then, John entered the kitchen, ready for his first day back at school and shot Ricky a curios glance.

"Umm" Ricky coughed, pulling away from his fiancé "Ames"

"What?" Amy mumbled, looking over her shoulder "Oh! John"

Amy sat back up in her seat and immediately started wiping her eyes so her son wouldn't see how hard she had been crying. Ricky stood up from his spot and walked back over to the kitchen counter where he began to fill his travel mug with coffee.

"What's wrong?" John signed, concerned

"Oh nothing" Amy reassured, forcing a secure smile

"You sure?" John asked as he grabbed a stool and started piling toast onto his own plate

"Mhmm" Amy chimed, standing up "Do you want something to drink?"

John nodded his head and waited for his mom to place a glass of orange juice in front of him before he continued signing

"I have basketball practice after school today"

"Okay. Just make sure you are finished by 3:45 because our hearing is scheduled for 4:30"

"Hearing?" John mouthed, wondering if he had read his mother's lips correctly

"Yea. The court hearing to finalize custody. Remember?"

"I thought this was already final"

"Well it is John" Ricky intervened "but a judge needs to say that. We'll be back home in time for you to do your homework. Don't worry"

"But what if" John signed frantically "what if the judge says I can't live here. What happens?"

"Then we can't take of you anymore John. But don't worry. I am going to make sure that doesn't happen" Amy promised, patting John's arm

"How?"

"Enough with the questions Pal!" Ricky ordered "Your bus is here. Get going!"

John grabbed his last piece of French toast and slung his backpack onto his shoulder. Amy ran around to give him a kiss and wish him luck. John smiled at her and left the room.

"But what if" Amy said out loud after John was out of sight

"Don't you start too" Ricky commanded, grabbing his briefcase and kissing Amy on the lips before leaving after his son.

* * *

><p>John shut the front door behind him and held his breakfast in his mouth as he pulled on the second strap to his bag before running across the lawn to catch the bus. John climbed aboard and took the same seat he had sat in on his first day at Central but not before making eye contact with Jamie; the girl who had ignored his existence all of Christmas break.<p>

As the bus pulled out into the street, John felt something sharp hit the back of his head. He turned around and a small paper ball fell into his lap. John moved back into a normal position and unravelled the ball. On the inside of the paper it read "Hey Freak! Where's your stalker? Has the mother ship come for you yet?" John paid no attention to who had delivered the message because he already knew who it was from. Brad. John began to crumple the paper back into a ball, ready to ignore the bully when Jamie sprinted over from her seat to his.

John's heart immediately quickened pace. This was not a good start to his morning.

"Back so soon?" He signed glumly

"I'm sorry!" She signed, forcefully so John could tell she meant it

"Funny. I think I've heard that before"

"I really am!" Jamie signed with one hand as she pulled down her hood, revealing moist eyes. Had she been crying?

"Don't worry about it" John signed, suddenly feeling guilty

"No. I need to. I shouldn't have pried or gotten involved... Well, both times and I shouldn't have -"

"Stop!" John signed, cutting her off "I should be apologizing to you. I have had a rough few months and I'm just not ready to open up yet. But I will. Today. That is, if you're still my friend"

"I'm your friend?"

"You're my only friend. Well here, at Central. A friend I really don't want to loose"

"You won't. Because I'm not going anywhere"

"Thanks. Sorry I didn't message you over the break. I was expecting you to and when you didn't, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to, so I didn't either"

"It's okay John. My parents and I drove to visit my brother in Canada and I left my phone at home."

"So that's what you did over the break? Drove across the border?"

"Pretty much. What did you do?"

Just as John was about to answer, the bus pulled to its usual spot outside of the school.

"I'll tell you over lunch" John signed quickly before gathering his things and standing up. The paper ball from moments earlier fell out of John's coat pocket and onto the floor, right in front of Jamie. She reached down and picked it up. John was hoping she wouldn't bother reading it but curiosity got the better of her. John watched in anguish as Jamie tore open the paper ball. Her face immediately fell.

"Who is this from?"

"No one"

"John!"

"Brad. He threw it at me when I got on the bus. He thinks I'm some kind of alien" John replied, trying not to giggle

"Stay here" Jamie ordered as she turned around and stood face to face with Brad.

"Hey Jamie" Brad said smoothly "Who's your freak?"

"He's got a name but you already know that. After all, he's your replacement"

"Hey!" Brad snapped "I've got an injury"

"Where? The only damage I see is in that window over there. The driver is going to charge you for breaking it you know"

"What?" Brad yelled, turning his head "I didn't break no window

Just then, Jamie rolled the paper up into a smaller ball and waited for Brad to turn back towards her. As he looked back in Jamie's direction, Jamie shoved the paper ball into his mouth which sent him into a sporadic fit of coughs and cuss words. Brad spit the ball into his hand and shot a death stare in John's direction. John was grinning from ear to ear and simply lifted up his left hand, forming the star trek greeting by putting his fingers into two's and spreading them apart. He thrust the gesture in Brad's direction before turning around and taking Jamie's hand in his as he exited the bus.

* * *

><p>John sat at the cafeteria table with his head in his hands, sniffling. Jamie sat next to him, nervously glancing around the room making sure no one saw John crying. When he finally looked in her direction, Jamie started signing quickly, afraid he would look away again.<p>

"It's okay John. You don't have to tell me anything. I can wait"

"No!" John reassured "My dad – Ricky told me it helps to talk about it"

"Ricky?"

"Let me explain" John interjected "I haven't always lived with my parents. My birth parents that is. My mom Amy slept with my dad Ricky at a camp for musicians 16 years ago. They were our age. They weren't a couple and got pregnant with me. They decided to give me up for adoption. I was given to Cheyenne and Alexander, a newly married couple, and they became my parents. They are my parents. Or… they were"

Jamie watched as John silenced the tears that rolled down his face. He took shallow breaths and regained his composure before continuing

"10 weeks ago, I was driving home from dinner with my parents. We were fighting and they turned around to look at me because we were signing. That's when the car hit us. I was flung from the car and got a cut up hand but my parents died instantly along with the other driver. The other driver was someone Ricky knew. When Ricky was a child, he was put in foster care because his dad physically abused him. His dad was sent to prison and got out 10 weeks ago. He was driving the car that hit us. Ironic huh? Ricky and Amy were put into my dad's will as the people to care for me if anything should happen. So I'm living with them now. It's been really hard because they were never told I was born deaf and don't know many signs."

Jamie starred at john speechless, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Why…" She began "Why are you here? At Central?"

"I was going to Spark Academy for the Deaf and Blind but I was brought here to play ball as you already know."

"So that's why you are getting the implant? To communicate with your parents?"

"Pretty much."

"Do you call them mom and dad?"

"No. Not yet. And I don't see how I ever will be able to. They gave me up, they didn't raise me. Aside from the past 10 weeks, they are strangers."

"I understand. John, I'm so sorry! If I had known…"

"How could you have? Just do me a favour okay? Don't see me differently because I told you. I get enough of this judgement thing from everyone else"

"Not in a million years would this change how I think of you. It's just…"

"What?"

"Now I see how brave and strong you are"

"Is that a good thing?"

"Of course it is!" Jamie exclaimed, pulling John in for a hug. He tightly wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder, for once taking the opportunity to be consoled. John smiled as he smelled Jamie's watermelon scented hair and breathed deeply, inhaling the moment and treasuring it forever.

* * *

><p>Ricky pulled the house key from his pocket and unlocked the front door, escaping the cold winter as he walked inside, shaking the fallen snow from his scarf.<p>

"Hey!" Amy called, walking upstairs from the basement, sheet music in hand "I thought I heard the door open. What are you doing home so early?"

"The court hearing remember? I got off early so we could go" Ricky reminded Amy as he hung up his jacket

"I remember. It's just we have another hour until we need to pick up John"

"Is that a bad thing?" Ricky said seductively, wrapping his arms around Amy and leaning in for a kiss.

She stopped him by placing her hand on his shoulder and pushing him back.

"Still not feeling good?" Ricky asked concerned, leading Amy into the living room

"No. I am. Our talk this morning really helped. Plus I called my mom and told her. She thinks I'm crazy to want another baby when everything is happening but at least it isn't like when I was pregnant with John. She's supportive to say the least"

"Well that's good… even though there really isn't anything to support… just yet. I mean it's not like we're pregnant"

"I know that!" Amy replied "but we are going to keep trying right? And with any luck, in a couple months her support will come in handy. Ohh! Isn't it exciting?"

"Yea…" Ricky mumbled, numbly as he watched Amy dance out of the room in high spirits "Sure"


	14. There Goes Gravity

**A/N So I spent most of my March Break writing and have about 3 chapters finished after this one which I will be updating once a week starting this coming Saturday. I wanted to ask my readers some questions though. I've noticed a few other stories on the site with one or two chapters less than I have but with the same amount of reviews. I'm wondering if this is because of the length of the chapters. Are my chapters too long? Do you skim them and not review because it gets boring or do you really like having long chapters to read? Let me know in the reviews because your reviews mean everything to me. They encourage me to keep writing and I'm so thankful for them.**

* * *

><p>"Bring it in boys!" Coach West yelled from the centre of the basketball court.<p>

John looked to his interpreter Michael for clarification and walked behind him as the team gathered in the middle of the gym

"Good work guys!" Coach West said enthusiastically as he clapped his hands together "Keep it up. Now remember, our next game is Friday and it's here incase any of your parents want to come"

"Umm.. Excuse me Adam, " Michael interrupted as he watched John sign a question

"John wants to know when the next practice is"

"Ohh right!" Adam said quickly, realizing what he had forgotten "Practice is tomorrow after school and it's going to be a big one because of our game the next day. So rest up. And yes John. Before you ask, you are excused from tomorrow's practice"

John innocently smiled at Coach West and thanked him with a nod of his head

"Class dismissed!" Coach West piped as he waved his hand in the direction of the locker room

John shook Michael's hand and bid him goodbye then turned towards the change room, walking 10 steps behind the rest of the team. John lifted his hand out in front of him to push open the change room door but felt a strong hand grab the back of his shirt and pull him back before he could enter.

He stood face to face with Brad who was now holding the front collar of his shirt with not one but both fists the size of grapefruits. John tried to pull away but Brad's grip got tighter.

"Guess you aren't as strong as you think you are without your girlfriend here to protect you."

Jamie wasn't his girlfriend but of course that didn't matter to Brad. The incident on the bus that morning had upset him and he was here to seek revenge. John saw no point in signing and knew Brad would eat him alive if he tried to speak. And there was no way in hell he was doing that.

"Listen freak. If you ever pull a stunt like that again, your going to be riding to school in a wheelchair got it? Or do I need to sign that for you to understand?"

John understood Brad perfectly clear but there was no way he was letting him know that. Coach West passed behind Brad on the way to his office, lost in some score sheets. For security, Brad let go of John's shirt and complemented his passing all too loudly until Coach West was out of the gym.

John backed away from Brad and waved his hands, stopping him before he could deliver another threat.

"DEAF" John signed slowly, trying to show Brad he couldn't understand

"What?"

John pointed to his ears and shrugged his shoulders

"Oh." Brad said, changing his voice as if he was talking to a small child "You can't hear me?"

John shook his head, trying to look confused

"Well hear this" Brad snarled as he shoved John into the changeroom. John flew backwards crashing into two of Brad's friends who immediately took hold of John's arms and watched in glee as he squirmed to get away. A few boys in grade 9 ran out of the room. John assumed it was from fear but hoped it was to get help. Brad approached John, making a fist with his right hand and smiled as if he were the joker. Time slowed as John watched Brad lower his fist and swing it into the center of John's stomach. John crumpled in pain and was freed to crash to the floor in agony.

The change room door slammed open and Brad was wrestled out of the room by Coach West. John struggled to sit up. He wasn't in that much pain but the blow had come as a shock to him. Coach West walked back into the room and told everyone else to change quickly and get out. He then helped John to his feet and sat him on the bench next to his stuff.

"Sorry about that John. You okay?"

John nodded his head, avoiding eye contact

"He's going to be punished don't you worry"

"Thanks" John signed hoping to end the conversation. He really didn't care what happened to Brad, he just wanted to be left alone.

Coach West patted John's shoulder and followed the last of the team out of the room, leaving John by himself. John stood up and pulled off his shirt. He walked around the change room and flexed his biceps in the mirror hanging on the wall. John wondered, given his size, if he was capable of taking on Brad for himself.

John walked back over to his gym bag and pulled out his phone. Seeing he had one new message, John unlocked it and checked his inbox. Inside was a message from Amy, telling him to hurry up. John quickly packed his things, threw on his jeans and sweater and ran out of the gym.

* * *

><p>Ricky and Amy sat in the third row of the court room with John in between them. Amy tried holding John's hand for support as she could tell he was nervous but he turned her away. That was when she noticed he kept holding his stomach with his left hand.<p>

"Hey" Amy bothered, as she tapped John's arm and pointed to his hand "What's wrong?"

"Nothing"

"It doesn't look like nothing. Are you hurt?"

"Some guy on the team messed around with me a bit. It's nothing. I have it under control"

"Did he hit you?" Amy asked concerned

"Kind of. He slugged me. I'm fine. He's just upset because I'm there to replace him. He got suspended from the season"

"That's not alright John. It's harassment"

"Coach West has it under control"

"Make sure he does okay?"

"Okay"

"Case 232. Richard Underwood, Amy Jeurgens and Caseworker Michelle Burns" Judge Walters, the judge at the stand, called out into the room.

Michelle, who was seated one row in front of them, stood up and motioned for the three of them to follow. They took their seats at long table in front of the judge but were told to stand by Michelle who was aggressively waving her hand up.

"So what do we have here?" Judge Walters asked quietly as she pulled back on her reading glasses and read a case file

"Your honour I have with me the biological parents of John Lewman who have recently re gained custody of their son after putting him up for adoption 15 years previous in the event of a teen pregnancy. I was the social worker on the case when John was adopted. 10 weeks ago, the adoptive parents, Cheyenne and Alexander Lewman died in a car accident leaving John parentless with no one else in the line for custody"

"Finalization of custody I see?"

Judge Walters pulled off her glasses and set them next to her, folding her hands across the file in front of her

"Mr Underwood, Ms. Jeurgens, I'm going to be frank with you. Really, the only reason you are being even considered for custody of John is because not only are you his biological parents but you were stated as guardians in the will. Aside from this request, I see no reason to grant you full custody. You aren't married, you are too young to be raising a 16 year old boy as well you gave him up for adoption once before in the irresponsible act of a teen pregnancy. Now it says here Mr. Underwood that you were physically abused as a small child?"

"Yes Your Honour"

"Care to shed some light on that?"

"My father used to come home after work and physically and verbally abuse me as well as sexually assault me"

"And because of this you grew up in several broken homes?"

"Yes"

"See this is what worries me" Judge Walters began "You were abused as a child which has had to have some repercussions on your personality and actions today as a young man. Who says you won't become like your father and do things of a similar nature to your son?"

"Because I won't"

"How can you be so sure. Isn't this the reason you let John out of your lives in the first place? To avoid hurting him?"

"Your Honour I'm not my father. I wouldn't dare touch my son. I'd rather die than see him get hurt"

"But he has gotten hurt has he not? None of this would have happened if the adoption had never happened am I right? And Ms. Jeurgens how are you caring for your son emotionally? You can't communicate fully with him. Not yet given you are learning to sign. How are you to set an example for him when you are in a common law marriage with the father of your adopted son who you had sex with at the age of sixteen?"

"Your Honour, you make it sound as if giving John up or having him at all was a mistake" Amy questioned, fighting tears

"No. I'm not saying that. I'm saying your actions from 16 years ago are smacking you right in the face. Here and Now. I don't know if granting you custody of your son is the right move here. He may be better off with a foster family, someone who has experience in raising troubled teens"

"I'm not troubled" John signed, angrily, what was this Judge saying? That Ricky and Amy weren't good parents? That he was a mistake. None of that was true!

"Excuse me. I can't understand you" Judge Walters said dryly

John grabbed a notepad and pen off the desk in front of him, sat down and began scribbling away. He handed the paper off to Michelle who read its content out loud

"I'm not troubled. Yes, I was given up for adoption by teen parents but I was given to a good home where I was fed and provided for by two loving parents. Parents chosen by Ricky and Amy. My parents were the greatest but they aren't here anymore. They wanted what was best for me and that meant giving me back to Ricky and Amy. I can't let you disregard my father's wishes. Amy and Ricky are good people. They love me. They always have. That's why they gave me up and that's why they want me back now. It's why they are trying so hard to keep me, and communicate with me. I want to stay with them. I want to stay with my mom and dad"

"Very well then John. Custody of John Lewman granted to Mr. Richard Underwood and Ms. Amy Jeurgens. Court dismissed"

"Wait so that's it?" Ricky yelled over to the judge "He's ours?"

"Yes Mr. Underwood. I was going to grant you custody all along. Why shouldn't John get to live with his parents? I just wanted to see you fight for him. I wanted to hear him say he wanted to live with you. I can't count how many times similar situations have played out in front of me. I have granted custody only to have the child back in my court room a year later fighting for emancipation. I have a few conditions though. I want John's last name changed to Underwood. Today. And I want him living in a stable home with married parents. I'm giving you one month. Get married, elope or break up and move out. Good luck to all of you"

Ricky watched in amazement as Judge Walters exited her chair and left the room through a side door. Amy hugged Michelle in celebration, soaking her shoulder with tears of Joy.

John grasped his hair in disbelief and breathed a loud sigh of relief. Ricky turned around to face his family and bear hugged John as he kissed the top of his head. Michelle shook Ricky's hand and said she would be in touch.

"We did it" Ricky whispered to Amy as he kissed her

"We're a family now" Amy whispered back as she rested her head on Ricky

"I'm starving. Can we change my name and get out of here?" John asked as he grabbed his bag

"Aren't you going to miss the last name 'Lewman' John?"

"If it means staying with you guys, I think I'll take Underwood. It was supposed to be my real name after all"

"Actually John" Ricky began as he walked out of the courtroom, holding his fiancé's hand "Your mom originally named you John Jeurgens after her. That was the name on the birth certificate until the adoption was final"

"I think you two should get married. That way we all have the same name"

"I like that idea"


	15. Partners

John sat on top of the examination table with his mom by his side, seated in a chair. John's doctor Dr. Patrick Hill stood in front of him, writing some information into a chart. It had been just over 3 months since the accident with his adoptive parents and things were going good. Amy and Ricky now had full custody of John, granted by the court and were planning on getting married after John's surgery.

Today, John was in for a final check up before his surgery which was two weeks away. Ricky had to be at work early so Amy went with him and phoned the school, telling them John would be late.

"Okay John" Dr. Hill said, looking away from his clipboard "I'm just going to give you a quick once over to make sure everything is ready for your surgery"

John nodded his head and watched Dr. Hill's lips intensely.

"Your surgery is still scheduled for the 6th of February. I already explained the process but I just want to remind you that you aren't allowed any food besides broth 24 hours before. Got it? It's just to help with the strong medication we're giving you" Dr. Hill informed as he shined a strong light into John's left eye, then his right

"You are to be signed in by 6:30 am on the Monday. Got it mom? The surgery starts at 8:10. We are going to keep you here for 8 days after so you will be leaving on Valentines Day. Once you are home, I will schedule you in for an appointment with John's Speech Language Pathologist, Dr. Quine who will then test the success of the surgery two weeks after you leave here. If everything works out, we will start you on therapy immediately after. Any questions?"

"I have a few" Amy answered "How bad is John going to feel after the surgery just so we can prepare him. Will he be strong enough to sign?"

"I don't expect him to be fully coherent directly after surgery. He may feel nauseous and sleepy which is completely expected considering it is brain surgery but I say after 10 – 12 hours, he should be good as new"

"So that's all we should know?"

"Pretty much. John, everything looks great. I want you take it easy the next few weeks to make sure it stays like that okay? Do you have any questions?"

"Yes" John began "How long will it take for me to play basketball again?"

"Once we learn your surgery went well, I'll give you the okay"

"And you are shaving my head right?"

"Unfortunately… yes. Are you okay with that?"

"I guess. Thank you"

"Is that all John?"

"Mhmm"

"Well then" Dr. Hill said as he shook John's hand "See you in two weeks"

* * *

><p>"So…" John signed between bites "The surgery is set. I went to my last check-up with Amy this morning"<p>

"Is that why you weren't on the bus?" Jamie, who was seated next to John at their usual lunch table, signed back

"Mhmm. My Doctor, Dr. Hill said everything looks good but get this. They have to shave my head!"

"Your entire head?"

"No. Just a section but I like my hair. This kind of sucks"

"Well it is brain surgery, I didn't expect them to go in through your mouth or something. But I agree, it does suck"

"Hey" John said, laying down his sandwich and placing his left hand on Jamie's shoulder "You're okay with this right? I mean, I'm going to be okay"

"I know you are. I just can't help but worry for you. But I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes" Jamie said dryly, packing up her things "Come on, we're going to be late for history"

* * *

><p>In class, John sat next to Jamie and watched their history teacher pace around the room. Michael sat next to John reading a book. John didn't pay much attention to Michael during history. He was too distracted by Jamie and used her to translate for him. John realized he had never really asked why Jamie knew ASL so well, but he figured she had a legitimate reason. Something he wasn't seeing.<p>

"Class" John's history teacher began as she distributed some sheets of paper "Here are the assignments I mentioned I was handing out last week. It is to be done in partners and is due at the end of the week. I want Chris with Joseph, Ashley with Joshua and Jamie, would you mind being with John? You work so well together"

"Sure I don't mind" Jamie said sweetly

John lightly shook her shoulder and shot Jamie a puzzled glance

"What" he signed

"She wants us to be partners"

"Well that's good"

"Yea, here is the sheet. It's due Friday. When is your next game?"

"My next game is tomorrow and I have practice and band for the rest of the week. I'm free tonight"

"Sounds good. My parents are working late tonight though. Can we do the project at your house?"

"That's fine. So wait for me by my locker at the end of the day okay?"

"See you then?"

"See you then" John smiled as he gathered his things

After last period, John walked to his locker and said goodbye to Michael. He found Jamie waiting for him and packed his bag with homework as she talked about her plans for the project. The two started for John's house and about halfway through the walk, John brought up something that had been bugging him all day.

"How did you learn to sign?" John interrupted

"Wow. I guess I never really told you did I?"

John shook his head "No"

"Umm. My brother is deaf. Remember how I went to visit him for Christmas? He is a lot older than me. He is 25 and lives with his wife Christine and 3 year old step daughter Brianna"

"What is your brother's name?"

"Andrew"

"How did he-"

"It was when I was seven. He was 17 and was driving his motorcycle on an icy road. He slammed into a telephone pole and shattered his left eardrum. His right ear died about three weeks later. He broke 6 ribs, both legs and was in a coma for nine days."

"You must have been scared"

"All I remember is crying for days because my mom couldn't stop crying. Once he woke up, he was really depressed and we all had to learn sign language with him"

"How did he move to Canada?"

"He met some kids who were deaf like him and one of the girls was three years older and hard of hearing""

"You mean Christine?"

"Yep. She had just broken up with her fiancé and they were pregnant. My brother helped with the delivery and proposed to Christine once Brianna was born. She got a job up in Toronto and he moved with her. He is a teacher now"

"That's a really cool story. I'm sorry I made you tell me. You didn't have to"

"No. I wanted to. You should know, I mean, You told me your story"

"And I'm glad I did. This is my street."

"Are your parents home?"

"Probably"

"Good. Because I've been dying to meet them!" Jamie said smiling as she jogged past John before turning around and encouraging him to follow

* * *

><p>John carefully unlocked the door to his house and pushed the doorway wide open so Jamie could enter first. He followed and closed the door behind him before removing his bag and coat.<p>

"Aren't you going to tell your mom you're home?" Jamie asked

"You didn't know that I don't talk at all?"

"No, I knew you didn't talk at school, it should be different with your family"

"Well it isn't. I'm just not there yet, even with the surgery coming up"

"John?" A voice called from the basement stairs as Amy climbed to the main level "Ohh Hello! You must be Jamie. I'm John's mom Amy. Nice to meet you"

"Thanks" Jamie said grinning "Same here"

"I shouldn't be surprised he finally brought you over I mean he talks about you all the time"

"MOM" John signed, bugging out his eyes and tightening his frown

"I bet he does" Jamie chuckled

"I was just about to make a salad. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Sure. I'd love to. Thank you"

"Thanks mom but we have a lot of homework to finish so we had better get started" John signed quickly before grabbing Jamie's arm and pulling her upstairs

"It was nice meeting you!" Amy called after John and his guest.

Just then Ricky walked through the door talking on his cell with a client.

"Okay. Talk to you soon. Bye"

"Hey honey" Amy greeted, kissing Ricky "What's up?"

"Some company dinner was scheduled for tonight like 6 weeks ago. I was so busy with John that I forgot to pay. There wasn't much point in going anyways because I'd rather be home with you two"

"Well think again"

"Why?"

"Jamie is over"

"So she exists!"

"Stop that" Amy said, whacking Ricky's shoulder playfully

"What! She is all he ever talks about. She knows sign language, from what we've heard, she is down to earth. There is no way those two are just friends. She was an imaginary friend or…"

"John would tell us if he was in a relationship. Wouldn't he?"

"He's a teenager"

"Good point"

* * *

><p>Jamie and John were on John's bed, lying on their stomachs, staring at a website on American History. Jamie had gone off into another rant about something that could be useful in the project but frankly john was too busy tuning her out to pay attention. All he could focus on was her lips and how she spoke when she signed, how her blond hair fell in small strands and how her eyes always seemed more blue, every time he saw her.<p>

John felt himself inching his face closer to Jamie's. It took her a while to notice but at that moment it was too late. John kissed her, making her train of thought come to a dead halt. Jamie closed her eyes and reciprocated the kiss, starting to lift her hand to John's face, but he pulled back bewildered.

"Sorry" John signed, turning away

"I'm not" Jamie signed back, reaching towards John and pulling him in for another kiss. Jamie pushed the laptop to the edge of the bed and laid her head on John's pillows. He laid down next to her, and leaned in. She kissed him, gently prodding his tongue with hers as she ran her fingers through his hair. John brought his hands down to Jamie's waste and began pushing against her. She didn't even stop him when he pushed his hands up her shirt, instead, she moved closer so his hand could go further.

"John! Dinner Time" Amy called from downstairs, knowing Jamie would deliver the message

Jamie pulled away from John, panting. John looked crazed and sat up, wondering if he had done something wrong

"Your mom is calling us for dinner!" Jamie said, startled as she fixed her hair, stood up quickly and left the room.

John sat on the edge of his bed and ran his fingers through his hair disappointed. He took a deep sigh and slowly stood up, walking off the intense stimulation that was building underneath the zipper of his jeans.

* * *

><p>Later on in the evening, Ricky and Amy were stretched out in the living room. Ricky rested his feet on the coffee table and leaned back into the corner of the sofa near the left arm, reading a newspaper with Amy resting her head in his lap, reading a book.<p>

"So how did the meeting with Dr. Hill go today?" Ricky asked as he finished an article

"Fine" Amy replied, turning a page "John didn't react so kindly when he learned they need to shave his head"

"His hair will grow back. He has my genes" Ricky laughed

"That he does" Amy agreed, sitting up and turning towards Ricky.

He kissed her affectionately then wrapped his arm around her as he curled up into a ball, and leaned against his chest. Ricky heard loud footsteps from the front hall and John and Jamie made their way downstairs. Jamie entered the living room while John waited by the front door.

"My dad is here" Jamie informed

"Oh" Amy said, sitting up "Well it was nice meeting you Jamie. Thank you for taking care of John these past few weeks. We really appreciate it"

"No problem. John's great"

"So we'll see you again then?"

"Deffinitly" Jamie smiled as she walked back over to John. She threw on her coat, pulled on her boots and swung her backpack on.

"Bye" John signed, leaning in for a kiss

Jamie smiled and caressed his face with her hand, pecking his lips, then pulling away.

"Bye" She said as she waved into the living room. John closed the door behind her and watched from the window as she got into her dad's truck and drove away.

Ricky and Amy watched in shock and surprise. Amy's mouth hung open and Ricky was grinning from ear to ear.

John turned to head back up stairs but caught his parent's looking at him.

"What?" He signed nonchalantly then ran up to his room.


	16. Sweet Sweet Sixteen

"So tell me again why we are at John's party on a Saturday, the day before his actual birthday?" George complained as him, his wife Anne and son Robbie approached the front doors to his daughter's house.

"Because George, his surgery is on Monday and they want him to rest tomorrow. So we are having the party today. Plus Amy mentioned something about how he can't eat anything 24 hours before"

"Speaking of Amy, are those two still trying to get pregnant?"

"I don't know George! Stop asking questions no one can answer. Those two are going to do whatever they want to do as we have learned many times before"

"Yea, well I don't like it!"

"Do you ever?" Anne asked breathlessly as she knocked on the door.

From inside, they could hear some quiet tune and loud barrels of laughter as someone approached the door. The door unlocked and swung open revealing Amy in a white blouse and black dress pants.

"Hey mom! Dad! Hey Robbie"

"Hey Ames" George greeted, putting on his happy face as he stepped inside

"Jamie! Could you call John up please?" Amy called downstairs as she turned to hug both her parents then her brother. She helped them with their coats and posted a big grin when her son arrived next to her.

John was in some dark jeans and a light blue flannel Amy had picked out just for today. He high fived his uncle and hugged his grandparents who he had now seen about four or five times. Robbie handed John a large box wrapped in rainbow gift wrap. John thanked him and placed the present with other gifts that were piled inside the living room next to the wall.

'My friends are downstairs. You want to come?' John mouthed aggressively, hoping Robbie could grasp the message

"Sure" Robbie replied and followed his nephew down the stairs.

Amy guided her parents into the living room where Ricky stood in a grey shirt and black tie, sipping champagne with Luke's mom Lexie.

"Hey George" Ricky said, shaking his future father-in-law's hand then moving aside to hug Amy's mother "Anne. Nice to see you"

"Likewise" George grunted, sitting down next to his wife

"Mom, dad. I'd like you to meet Lexie Mitchell. She is Luke's mom. Remember the boy I was telling you about?"

"Oh yes. The friend!" Anne replied, turning her attention to Lexie "Nice to meet you"

"Same here" Lexie smiled back

"So where are Margaret and Shakur?" George boomed, clapping his hands together to break the awkward tension in the room

"My parents couldn't make it. They are down in California for the week visiting friends" Ricky informed

"Oh"

"Yep" Ricky said, rocking back and forth on his heels as he shot Amy a tight smile. She smiled back nervously, already wondering if this party was such a good idea.

* * *

><p>Down in the basement, John welcomed Robbie to meet his friends. A monopoly board was out and set up. On one side of the board sat John's friend Luke and next to him sat John's girlfriend Jamie.<p>

"Babe, can you translate?" John asked his girlfriend who stood up when she saw her boyfriend return

"Sure" She said, watching John sign to Robbie "Robbie, this is my girlfriend Jamie"

Jamie smiled and waved "And this is my friend Luke. We went to my old school together and he lived across from me at my old house. Guys" John signed, now turning towards his friends "This is my uncle Robbie"

"Uncle" Luke laughed "How old is he?"

"14" John replied, pointing at Robbie to take a seat

"Remember, John's parents were teenagers when he was born." Jamie reminded

"I know that" Luke signed back playfully. He was really starting to like Jamie "I was joking. Calm down"

Jamie stuck her tongue out at Luke "You calm down" and with that, she reached over to her boyfriend and roughly grabbed his collar, pulling him in for a kiss. John turned limp and waited until Jamie ended the kiss to breathe.

"Jeeze Luke" John signed, out of breath "You should tell her to calm down more often"

Luke smiled and glared at Jamie. Robbie was smiling, finding this conversation quite amusing from what he could understand

"Jamie" Robbie began, picking up his monopoly piece "How did you learn to sign?"

"Yes Jamie" Luke signed cheerfully "Do tell"

"My brother is deaf. I learned to sign along with him and my parents after he was in a car accident"

"I'm sorry" Robbie replied

"It's okay. He's fine now. Besides, some good things came out of it" Jamie smiled, winking at John. He turned bright red and rolled the dice.

"Are you ready for Monday John?" Luke signed, trying to change the subject

"I guess so. I mean what's there to get ready for? I go to the hospital, they put me to sleep and when I wake up, its all over"

"Yea but your whole life is about to change. Aren't you a little bit nervous?"

"A little. But my life has already been completely flipped around. Im kind of used to it"

"I'd be freaked if I was you" Luke signed, pushing his point

"Well Luckily I'm not you" John teased before getting some paper dollar bills thrown in his direction

"Kids!" Amy called from upstairs "Cake!"

The four teens slowly made their way upstairs and took their seats around the dining room table that held 8 chairs. Along with the teens, George, Anne and Lexie sat down, leaving Ricky and Amy standing to distribute cutlery and bring in the cake. Ricky dimmed the lights as Amy walked in with a large rectangle slab of dessert lit with 16 blue and white candles. Amy placed the cake in front of John who was seated at the head of the table and started singing, eventually joined by everyone else in the room besides Luke. John looked down at his cake and saw it was decorated with black icing in the design of a licence plate. It Read: John 16.

John looked from his right, starring at Jamie, to his left, nodding at Luke then up at his mother. She told him to blow out the candles, he read her lips and did as he was told. With one puff, John took out the flames on all 16 candles and grinned as everyone clapped, dispersing the smoke. Amy brought the cake back into the kitchen to remove the candles and cut it into pieces. John turned towards his father and asked why the cake was decorated like it was.

"Well John" Ricky began, smiling at Amy as she re-entered the room "You're 16 now which means you are going to start driving soon and we figured what better way to learn than in your very own car"

"Really?" John signed, his face in utter shock

"Yep" Ricky grinned, handing John a small box "It's the sports car your dad left you. We figured you were right before. You should be able to drive. We're sorry it took us a while to see that"

John took the small box from his father and watched him explain the present. John removed the lid from the box, peering inside and seeing a shiny set of keys. He picked them up by their key ring and squeezed them inside his palm. He stood up.

"It's okay. It's okay. Thank you Thank you Thank you. So much!" John exclaimed, hugging his father, then his mother

"We're happy you like it. The car is on its way here. We had it in storage. It should be here shortly" Amy said

"In the mean time, how abut more presents?" Ricky asked, pulling the gifts from the floor onto the table.

John opened Luke's gift first, removing a brand new, New York Nets jersey from the tissue paper. Next was the box Robbie had handed John when he arrived. Inside were some limited edition Nike basketball shoes that John had seen at the mall and asked his parents for. They must have told his grandparents what to buy, but that didn't matter because he loved them.

"Thankyou everyone" John signed, with Lexie translating

"Me next" Jamie signed, sliding over a tiny box.

John smiled at his girl as he undid the lid. Inside was a necklace. Just a plain simple chain made of silver.

"It's bling" Jamie signed

"Yea…" John replied "It is. Thanks. I guess. I love it" John pulled the necklace on then leaned over and kissed Jamie on the cheek

"Well now that we're done with the presents" Interrupted Amy "How about we go into the living room, have some cake and wait for the car?"

Everyone stood up from their into seats and followed one another out of the dining room. Ricky wrapped his arm around Amy's waste and led her into the kitchen. John grabbed Jamie's hand as he exited the room. She smiled sweetly, stopping him before he entered the living room.

"John wait"

"What?"

"I need to tell you something" Jamie signed, bringing John over to the staircase. She sat him down on the second step and grabbed his hand. "That necklace wasn't your present. Well, it was, but only a part of it"

"What do you mean?" John asked as he watched Jamie reach into her pocket

"I had an idea for your gift so I talked to your mom. I asked her if any of your parent's belongings had made it through the crash"

John felt his throat closing as a lumped formed

"She said she wasn't sure and checked for me. Most things that survived were burned or broken… except this" Jamie said, opening her hand revealing a ring

"My father's wedding ring"

"It's in perfect condition. I thought you deserved to have it. Amy said I could give it to you and I think it will look nicer on a chain" Jamie signed, as she lifted the necklace off of John's neck, unclasped it, slid the ring on then hung it back on John's neck. He grabbed the ring and held it in a fist, tears running down his face.

"Thunk oo" He spoke, barely above a whisper

Jamie's eyes bugged out and her mouth fell to the floor "Did you -"

John pulled her in for a hug and she rocked him back and forth. John tightened his grip on his girlfriend and looked up to the ceiling, for the first time acknowledging his parent's since their death. 'Thankyou' he mouthed, before pulling away from Jamie and wiping his eyes. His father's ring swinging around his neck as he moved.

After cake, everyone started leaving. John shook Luke's hand but pulled him in for a hug before he could escape

"Bye John"

"Bye Luke. Thanks"

"Sure. Stay safe okay. I don't know what I'll do if you don't wake up"

"Don't worry about that. It's going to be okay" And with that, Luke pulled John in, embracing him. They broke free and Luke left, followed by Lexie who hugged John before leaving.

Next, Robbie high-fived John then walked out to his car as his parents said goodbye to John and his sister. Jamie tapped John's shoulder and he turned around, pulling her in by her waste.

"My dad is here"

"Thanks for a great birthday" John said, kissing Jamie

"Your welcome. Thank you for speaking"

"You deserved it"

Jamie grabbed John's chin and turned it woards his parents who were watching from the living room "So do they" And with that, she was gone. John closed the door behind her and walked over to his parents. First, John hugged his mother, then his father. He pulled away and signed "thank you"

"We love you" Amy signed back, pushing John's long curls out of his eyes.

Just then, bright lights from a tow truck outside started flashing into the living room.

"John, I think your present has arrived" Ricky said, stretching his neck to look outside

"Can we go?" John signed, practicly bursting

"Yea, you go. We're coming"

John ran to the front door and pulled on his sneakers, then his coat. He jumped out the door and jogged over to his father's car. His car. A bright red convertible with two black stripes across the front hood.

Amy started towards the front door after her son but Ricky pulled her back.

"What are you doing? Don't you want to see the car?"

"Yea, we will in a minute" Ricky said slowly, his heart racing "but first I need to tell you something and I don't know how you're going to take it"

"Well what is it? You can tell me"

"Well"

"Ricky!"

"I can't have children!" Ricky blurted out

"What?" Amy asked, confused

"After you had John, I felt I didn't deserve any more kids. I never wanted to make another mistake. So I got a vasectomy"

"Wha- what are you talking about?" Amy cried, tears forming as she backed away from the man she thought she knew

"I'm so sorry Amy. I never told you because I didn't think it mattered. That was until this scare. I went back to the doctor the night Jamie came over for the first time and they confirmed nothing came un done. I can't… We can't have children"

"So all those years of condoms and birth control… were for nothing!" Amy screamed

"Yes…"

"You lied to me?" Amy whispered, the concept sinking in

"Amy"

"No! You don't get to do this!" Amy growled. She pushed past Ricky, knocking his shoulder with her own. He stood there, shaking, as his fiancé slammed the front door behind her. That was if they were still engaged.


	17. Your Lies Cut Deep

Amy waited until Ricky had put the car in park to unbuckle her seat belt. John sat in the backseat of car, sleeping with his head against the frosted window and his duffel bag packed with everything he needed for his visit to the hospital on the seat next to him. John had fallen asleep on the ride over to the hospital.

"He fell asleep" Amy said dryly, turning her head to stare affectionately at her son

"Can't blame him. It's 6 am" Ricky heartlessly replied back, stifling a yawn

"Poor baby. We'd better get going" Amy said as she climbed out of the car, slowly walking over to John's side and opening the passenger door.

"John honey" Amy greeted, shaking her son awake. John opened his eyes and groggily stretched, blinking to shield himself from the bright morning light. "We're here" Amy signed

John hadn't eaten in 30 hours and was extremely weak. Amy helped him out of the car and passed him over to Ricky as she grabbed his bag. Ricky took the bag from Amy without having to be asked to and let John lean over onto his mother. They walked in unison, with John resting his head on Amy's right shoulder. They entered the hospital and found the main desk where John was signed in. An orderly was paged down with a wheelchair which John was helped into by his mother then wheeled away to the second level. Amy and Ricky followed behind, both exhausted. Ricky put his arm around Amy, trying to offer some comfort but she shoved him off instead and quickened her pace.

Amy entered her son's private room that Ricky had ordered months in advance. She scurried over to help John - who was forcing himself out of his chair - onto his bed. A nurse followed Ricky inside with a blue gown and clipboard. She laid the gown on the bed and handed Ricky some paperwork to sign along with a pen.

"So we just need John to get changed into this gown here and we will be ready to go. He hasn't eaten anything since this time yesterday correct?"

"Yes" Amy replied

"Great. He's probably feeling really weak by this point but it's nothing to be concerned of. I do need to give him an IV. It should only take a second." The nurse said as she walked over to John, and poked his hand with a sharp needle as she injected his vein. She attached a tube to his hand, and connected it to a large pole and drip bag. She taped the tube over the top of his hand.

"We'll be back in ten minutes to get him" The nurse informed before leaving

John swung his legs over the edge of his bed and grabbed his gown. He used the wall to support him as he walked over to his bathroom to change.

"Is he okay in there?" Ricky asked, concerned

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" Amy mumbled back

Just then, John walked out of his bathroom and tossed his clothes onto a chair before climbing back into bed.

"What?" he signed, noticing how strangely Ricky was starring at him

"Nothing" Ricky replied "We're you okay in there?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" John signed back rudely, just wanting to disappear

"John stop!" Amy commanded "Your father was just worried about you. I know you're tired but that's no excuse to"

"You don't get it! I'm not just tired. I'm exhausted… and hungry… and I'm scared!" Signed John who suddenly felt dizzy from his rant. He laid back in his bed weakly, resting his head on his pillow as his eyes fluttered. Amy sat down next to him on a chair and grabbed his hand.

'Amy' John mouthed, his face distorting into tears

"It's okay baby. You are going to be fine. It's going to be fine. I'm here for you"

'I'm scared'

"I know" Amy said, now crying "I am too, but stay strong. This will all be over soon. I love you"

John nodded his head, letting the exhaustion and fear take control. He thought back to Jamie saying that his parents deserved him and deserved to be accepted because they were doing their best. Today was proof of that, John just didn't know if he was ready to admit it out loud. John drew in a deep breathe before continuing

"Aye… Luv yoo too"

Amy lifted her head in shock, mouth agape. She turned to Ricky who starring at his son with the same blank expression. Amy leaned in towards her son and kissed his forehead. As she did, his closed his eyes, pushing more silent tears out from under his lashes.

"Amy" Ricky coughed "Can we have a minute?"

Amy nodded her head and squeezed her son's hand before leaving the room She stood outside the door and leaned against its frame, wrapping her arms around her chest and she sobbed. Amy cried for John and what he was going through. She cried at the thought that this might be the last time she ever saw him and she cried for all mothers who had lost their sons. Amy wasn't ready to let go. Not now… not ever.

Ricky watched Amy leave the room and walked over to where she just stood.

"Wic-" John began, forcing himself to speak

"Don't son. I know what you want to say. It's okay. I know" Ricky said sitting down "but I wanted to tell you something."

Ricky took hold of his son's hand and starred deeply into his eyes "These past 3 months have been hard. And I know you still don't forgive me for abandoning you 16 years ago. I'm so sorry I ever let you go. I don't even know if I have ever apologized and now" He said, fighting tears "Now… I may never get the chance. But you should know. That I'm here now. And I'm not going ANYWHERE ever again. And times may be hard in the future but I will always LOVE YOU"

John nodded his head, sniffling. He lifted his right hand up in the air in front of his father and signed "I Love You". Ricky pounced on his son and held him tightly against his chest as they both sobbed.

"It's okay son… it's okay" Ricky whispered, kissing John's head

A slight knock on the door dragged the two back into reality. Amy walked back into the room along with Dr. Hill.

"John" He said slowly "We're ready for you now"

John nodded his head again and wiped his face with both hands as two orderlies came into the room with a gurney. They counted to three and hoisted John onto the portable bed. Amy came around and hugged her son. He hugged back, never wanting to let go. But the orderlies pushed the bed out of the room and he was forced to. John watched his parents disappear into halls of white sadness as he was wheeled away. Ricky once again tried to comfort his son's mother but she wasn't taking it, and slipped away from his grasp once their son was out of sight.

In OR 2, Dr. Hill smiled at the teen that lay knocked out on his operating table. John was under blue scrub sheets and his head laid on a raised platform, his face turned sideways with a large oxygen tube taped to his mouth. Dr. Hill was handed a shaver by an intern and carefully shaved off all of John's dark blonde hair before taking his scalpel and cutting the skin of John's scalp.****

* * *

><p>Four Hours Later, Amy sat in the waiting room next to her fiancé Ricky, her head in her hands. She was too nervous to sleep but too tired to pace the floor like she had been doing for the past three hours.<p>

"Ames" Ricky began "We need to talk"

"Why" Amy snapped back "It's no use! It can't change things!"

"I'm sorry okay? But we will get through this like all those other times. I love you!"

"I just don't know how to trust you again and I really don't know how we can move on from this. It's too big!"

"We can get past this. We have to!"

"I can't!" Amy paused "I've been trying but its all I've been thinking about since the party. You lied. And it's not like this is something minor Ricky! You kept this hidden for 16 years!"

"I know. I know I did! And I wish I hadn't but there are other ways to have kids Amy!"

"You don't even see it do you" Amy scoffed "It isn't about the vasectomy Ricky. It's that you lied about it! All those times we slept together or talked about the possibility of having kids. All those late night condom runs and doctors appointments for more birth control. When I thought I was pregnant and you encouraged me to keep trying. Saying we would have another chance. Well. Guess what? You're out of chances. We both are. Our entire sex life was a lie. That was something so pure, that I only ever shared with you. And you ruined it, just by keeping something like this to yourself"

"Amy"

"That was the one thing I asked you to do! The one thing you swore you would do! I asked you to stay faithful to me! I asked you to be honest and tell the truth and you couldn't! You couldn't do the one thing I needed you to do" Amy cried, her vision blurry

Ricky pushed out a shaky breathe, knowing he deserved this. Just then, Dr. Hill approached the couple, taking off his cap. The couple stood up, bewildered. Ricky tried to hold Amy's hand but she shook free of his grasp.

"The surgery went well" Dr. Hill began "We entered the skull, placed the Cochlear inside and closed him up. There was a tiny bit of swelling but nothing that won't go down. He is being brought back to his room now but he is still sleeping. It should be about another hour until he comes around. We ask that he try not to move once he does wake up. He will most likely have a headache and feel nauseas but it is normal. Encourage him to sleep. Once he is fully awake, we may give him a sedative if the migraine worsens. I hope the bandages we have him wrapped in won't be too much of an inconvenience"

"No Doc. Thanks. He'll be fine. Thank you for everything. Honestly, we don't know what we would have done if it wasn't for you" Ricky said, shaking Dr. Hill's hand

"I did what I can" He said before leaving

"Isn't this good news Amy?" Ricky asked, suddenly cheery as he ran his fingers through his hair

Amy starred at the ground glumly. She fiddled with her ring.

"Come on Ames! Don't be mad at me!"

"I'm not mad" Amy said quietly "I'm finished. I can't do this anymore. I can't trust you. And this isn't going to work"

"What? No… no. Don't do this Amy. Please!" Ricky begged, folding his hands together, starting to cry.

Amy took off her engagement ring and held it in her hand "I'm finished. Goodbye Richard" Amy said coldly and placed the ring into Ricky's hand before walking off towards her son's room.


	18. Recovering

Amy smiled weakly at a nurse passing by before entering John's room. She brushed her bangs out of the way, wiped the moisture building in her eyes and pushed open the door. There she found John, asleep in his bed, a white bandage around his head and an oxygen tube leading out of his nose. Amy approached her son and gently kissed the top of his head before pulling up the chair next to her and sitting down.

Ricky entered the room shortly after with a blank expression on his face. He was white in shock and was having trouble swallowing. He starred at John for a moment, loosing himself in the scene before him. Across from him, Amy let out a deep sigh as she stroked John's cheek. He stirred abruptly and looked up at Amy confused and frazzled.

John tried to sign but was so groggy from his medication that neither Amy nor Ricky could understand what he was saying.

"It's okay John" Amy spoke sincerely, pulling his hands back down to his chest "The surgery was successful. You're going to be okay. Just sleep"

"He's not going to be able to read your lips right now. The medication is just wearing off. You should try signing into his palm" A nurse walking in recommended as she checked over John's chart.

Amy nodded her head and took her son's hand in her own. She signed the words 'I Love You' into John's hand and kissed it. John moaned softly and turned his head to his father. He smiled softly at Ricky before falling back asleep.

* * *

><p>A Few hours later, Ricky returned to the room with a bag of sandwiches he had bought in the cafeteria downstairs. He placed the food on the tray above the foot of John's bed and took off his coat. Amy lay sprawled out on the chair next to John, sleeping. Ricky approached her and shook her shoulder.<p>

"I'm back"

Amy shot her eyes open and snarled in Ricky's direction. She swung her legs off the chair and yawned as she tussled her hair and stretched.

"Well you didn't have to wake me to tell me that"

"At this point I don't even care about what you want. Besides aren't you hungry?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders and stood up. She shuffled over to the bag of sandwiches and started removing it's contents.

"I don't understand why you are doing this" Ricky said all too loudly

"I want to see if you got Tuna" Amy replied defensively

"Not the lunch Amy. You know what I mean!"

"I don't care if you understand or not. I'm doing it"

"We can get past this Amy! We have to! Why can't you believe that?"

"Just drop it Richard okay? If you want me to leave, I will. You can have your stupid house and your precious car and John can come visit on weekends"

"Stop calling me Richard. And no. Not okay. If we don't get married the judge is going to cancel our custody agreement"

"No she won't. She said she was okay with shared custody. And that's what would have happened anyways if we had kept him. Because we were never meant to last, parents or not"

"Amy! Don't do this! I'm sorry I lied. But it is the ONLY thing I ever lied about"

"Go to Hell"

A rustling of blankets withdrew the parents from their argument as John woke up for the second time. Amy ran to his side and helped him sit up.

"Hi Honey," She signed affectionately

"My head hurts" John signed, squinting at the bright light of the room.

"It's from the drugs. Just relax. It will pass"

"How was the surgery?"

"Great. Nothing went wrong"

John smiled, hearing the good news but his grin was quickly replaced by a sickly fear as a wave of nausea overcame him. John violently heaved forward and began vomiting stomach acid and bile. Amy grabbed a bin from the floor and held it up to John's chin as he shook horrifically. Ricky ran from his position by the window to his son's side and held him up as he rubbed his back.

Eventually, John's fit ended and both parents lowered him back down. Ricky ran to get a nurse as Amy placed the bin on the floor and sat back in her chair, starting to cry.

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next 12 hours, John was in and out of a deep sweaty sleep due to his pain meds. At different times he would wake up to see his parents screaming at each other. Other times, his mom was alone crying or his father was. A few times he was completely alone. Something was terribly wrong.<p>

When John regained consciousness for good, Amy was next to him with her head in her hands. He sat up quietly and innocently starred at his mother, waiting for her to agnowledge him.

"John!" Amy exclaimed, as she lifted her head up

"What's wrong?" he signed anxiously, curious to know what had happened while he had been asleep.

"Do you want anything?" Amy signed frantically, approaching her son

"Food"

Amy stood up and pulled a food tray towards her and lifted up a bowl of soup. She held it to John's chin and carefully spooned some into his mouth.

"Nothing is wrong John"

John took in a second spoonful of soup and glared in Amy's direction. As she brought another serving to his mouth, he noticed her left hand that should have been carrying a sparkling ring but wasn't "Where's your ring?"

"I gave it back to your father"

"WHAT! WHY?" John signed, practically screaming

Amy drew back and placed the soup back on the tray.

"Just calm down okay? We got into an argument"

"Why?"

Amy sat back down in her chair and waited in silence, thinking of what to say. "After you were born… your father had a vasectomy and never told me. I only found out two days ago and it came as a big shock to me that he lied like that"

"That's not a good enough reason to leave"

Amy starred at John silently

"I don't want to have to share you guys. I don't want to be a child of divorce"

"Divorce?" Amy laughed, climbing onto the edge of her son's bed "John we were never married"

"Still"

"John. Look. I want things to work out but I honestly don't know how we can get past this"

John lifted his hand to Amy's chin and turned her face to look at him. He took in another breath and spoke "Twy"

* * *

><p>Amy entered the chapel slowly scanning the room for her fiancé, which was if he would take her back. She found Ricky sitting in the third row of pews with his head down. Amy walked up behind him and entered his row before sitting down next to him.<p>

"John is awake" she said slowly "He's asking for you"

"Kay" Ricky mumbled softly, sniffling

Amy starred at the large cross at the front of the chapel "Did you ever see our lives turning out like this?"

"Hm. No" Ricky smirked, still avoiding eye contact

"I'm sorry" Amy apologized, turning towards Ricky

"I n-never meant to h-hurt you" Ricky said, starting to sob

"But you did"

"I know… and I will never do it again… I p-promise. I only got this thing because I never wanted to hurt you or anyone else like this again"

"But why did you lie?"

"I didn't even think it mattered until now. You have no idea how much I regret it."

"Forgiving you won't change how I feel. I wanted kids… I really did" Amy closed her eyes, warm tears sliding out from under her lashes. Amy looked around the chapel while taking several shaky breaths. She could hear Ricky sniffling softly next to her "… but I do forgive you"

Ricky looked at Amy through his tears in shock. He smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring "Forgive me enough to marry me?"

"You wouldn't be asking if I didn't"

* * *

><p>Ricky stood at the front of the chapel with his hands by his waist, folded in front of him. To his left, John sat in his wheelchair and hospital gown, two gold rings on his lap and a large grin across his face. To Ricky's right was a minister that visited the hospital every so often and who had agreed to marry Ricky and Amy on little notice.<p>

A door near the back of the room closed shut and a few seconds later, Amy appeared in a white gown she had bought just hours earlier. She made her way down the aisle, holding a bouquet of flowers from a nurse's station. Ricky met her near the end of her path and led her in front of the minister who started the ceremony.

Towards the end of the sacrament, the minister nodded in Ricky's direction igniting the start of the vows.

Ricky nodded back and sighed deeply as he looked passionately into Amy's eyes "I Richard, take you Amy to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live"

Amy waited for the reverend's permission before continuing.

"I Amy, take you Richard to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live"

"Now Richard" The minister spoke softly once more "Take the ring and as you do so, say 'with this ring, I thee wed'"

Ricky turned towards John who thrust the pillow forward as Ricky picked up Amy's ring. He turned back towards his fiancé and slid the ring onto her finger "With this ring, I thee wed"

Amy stepped over to John and took the remaining ring off of his pillow. She slid it onto Ricky's finger while repeating "With this ring, I thee wed"

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride" The minister announced.

Ricky and Amy leaned into each other and shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Ricky pulled away and stroked Amy's cheek. He lifted his right hand and signed "I Love You" to Amy. She reciprocated the message with another kiss then turned away towards John. He lightly clapped his hands in celebration and sent his mom a head nod of approval. Ricky shook the minster's hand before taking Amy's right arm in his left. The couple walked behind their son as he wheeled himself up the aisle and out of the chapel.


	19. Newlyweds

Ricky pushed John through the crowded hospital wing as he dodged doctors, patients and nurses. John sat patiently in his chair, and jiggled the zipper of his winter jacket in his sweaty palm as his dad brought him towards the exit of the hospital. A sudden pause in motion made John swing forward. Ricky clicked on the chair's brakes outside the main entrance and stepped over to face his son.

"Where's Amy?" John questioned, suddenly realizing she hadn't been behind them

"I'm here" Amy shouted, squeezing through a group of interns as she raced over to her husband.

"I missed you" Ricky smirked, leaning over and kissing his newly married wife.

Amy smiled and hung John's backpack on the back of his chair. She rubbed his bald head and kissed his forehead before pulling a warm hat onto his head

"Ready to go home?" She signed, cheerily

"Absolutely" John replied as a nurse walked up behind his mother and tapped her shoulder.

The nurse handed Amy a stack of papers and handed her a pen. John couldn't see what she had said from his spot in his chair but assumed Amy was being told to sign his release forms. Before he knew it, a stranger was once again pushing his chair. He looked over his shoulder as his parents disappeared from view and squinted as the nameless orderly brought him into the strong light of the day.

John was left alone to wait and pulled his zipper up to his neck as she shivered from the cold he had forgotten all about due to his time in the warm hospital. After what seemed like several minutes later, Ricky followed his son outside and stood next to him.

"Your mother is just finishing up with your paperwork" Ricky said, crouching down so John could read his lips "You didn't say anything to Amy did you?"

"Not a word" John signed back, knowing how important it was that he kept this secret

"That's my boy" Ricky applauded, fist bumping John as Amy joined them and led them towards the car.

* * *

><p>Ricky pulled the car into their driveway and turned off the engine. He glanced at John who was dozing off with his head against the frozen window.<p>

"He's still pretty out of it huh?" Ricky mumbled, sticking his car keys into his coat pocket

"He'll sleep inside." Amy replied, reaching her hand up and hooking it around Ricky's neck. She pulled him in and lingered with a slow kiss

"Care to join me for a nap as well?" Ricky whispered, closing his eyes

"I'd love to… but we're out of groceries"

Ricky pulled away and rested his head on the back of his seat "Darn" he teased, shuddering "We had better get out his this cold before he gets sick"

"I agree" Amy said, unlocking her door and stepping onto freshly fallen snow.

Ricky climbed out after her and unlocked the trunk of the car as Amy slowly shook John awake. He opened his eyes quickly and smiled, happy to be home. Amy helped John out of the car and let him stand on his own. He took small steps, regaining his balance every few feet. John gripped the handle of the front door after climbing the tiny stoop of the porch.

Amy walked up behind him and pulled out her key, quickly unlocking the door to help John escape the cold. He collapsed onto the stairs and leaned on the railings, pulling off his sneakers with his left hand. Ricky ran into the house and shut the door behind him, failing to protect the house from a strong gust of wind that blew directly into John's direction. He shivered while unzipping his many sweaters and pulled himself to his feet.

"I am going to go up to my room and get some sleep. I don't feel too good"

"That's okay honey. I am going to go buy some groceries for dinner. Feel better okay?"

John nodded his head and headed up to the second floor. Once at the top of the stairs, he looked down at his dad who shot him a thumbs up.

"Ames" Ricky called, following his wife into the kitchen "I'm going to order some pizza for lunch. Maybe John will be up to eating in a little while"

"Sounds good" Amy replied, walking over to Ricky and kissing him goodbye "I'll be back soon"

"Okay" Ricky said, watching his wife leave through the front door as he picked up the house phone. Once finished with his order, Ricky began his long trek up stairs. He opened the door to John's bedroom slowly, hoping not to startle him but luckily found him awake, lying on his covers.

"Pack your bags" Ricky said, through an ecstatic smile

John nodded his head in his father's direction and watched him leave the room. John pulled himself into a sitting position, grunting at the strength the movement required. He looked at his reflection in the mirror over his dresser and stood to have a closer view. Peeling off his woolen toque, John squinted at his bald head and ran his fingers through the tiny fuzz starting to grow. Across John's right scalp was a large irritated scar still red with fury. John growled at the stranger in the mirror, suddenly drowning in the fear that he had made the wrong decision. He shook the feeling as quick as it came and walked over to his closet to retrieve his luggage.

In the other room, Ricky was frantically stuffing all available clothes into the suitcases he had sprawled out over his bed. As he zipped his second bag, a loud noise chimed from his cell resting on the windowsill. Ricky jogged over to his phone and opened a text from Michelle.

_To Richard From Michelle_

_Hey Richard! Not sure if you are back home yet with John. Hope he's feeling better. I got news on the adoption papers you were asking for. Talk to Amy about it and let me know. This couple is really anxious and the due date is fast approaching. Thanks!_

Ricky read the text silently, mumbling a few key words out loud. He re read the message and smiled, excited to have gotten a reply from their agent so soon. He turned off his phone and went back to work, eager to get this vacation started.

As Ricky brought the last of the luggage to the top of the stairs, the doorbell rang. He took the stairs two at a time and fished his wallet out of his back pocket as he answered the door. Taking the pizza from the delivery boy, Ricky heard his name being called over and over and caught sight of a young girl sprinting across the street towards him.

"Mr. Underwood!" The girl called out, waving her arms frantically

"Jamie!" Ricky exclaimed, forcing his wallet back into his jeans "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on lunch. I wanted to see if John was home yet. How is he?"

"He's doing fine, but he's really tired. You can go up if you want" Ricky replied, closing the front door behind him as Jamie entered the front hall "Do me a favour though and take a slice or two up with you"

Jamie slowly opened the door to John's bedroom, smiling at the sight of him asleep on his bed. She slid the balanced pizza plates she had carried upstairs onto his dresser and shut the door as quietly as before. Jamie climbed onto John's bed and laid her head on the pillow next to where he slept and starred at him affectionately.

John stirred at the fresh smell of pizza and slowly opened his eyes. The startling appearance of his girlfriend shocked him and he withdrew to the edge of his bed in a groggy fear.

"Hey, hey hey!" Jamie soothed, reaching for her boyfriend "It's okay"

"What are you doing here" John signed, yawning

"I wanted to see you. Make sure you were okay"

"I'm fine. Everything went great"

"I'm glad to hear it. Are you hungry?"

John nodded his head and pointed to the unopened bottle of water that lay on his dresser "Could you?"

"Sure!" Jamie exclaimed, reaching for the beverage. She handed the bottle off to John and sat up from the bed to retrieve the pizza. She passed a plate carrying two large slices to her boyfriend and took the smaller slice on the second plate for herself.

"I missed you" John signed between bites "but we aren't going to have much time"

"Why not?" Jamie questioned, following John's heavy gaze to a packed suitcase standing in the corner. Jamie shot John a puzzled glance and wiped her mouth "What's that?"

"Ricky and Amy eloped while I was in the hospital. They are still planning to have a real wedding so everyone can be there but my dad, I mean Ricky, wants to surprise Amy with a honeymoon"

"Are you going with them?"

"No. Their parents are taking me in for a week so I'm not left alone. I'm still getting over my surgery"

"How long will you be gone?"

"Just a week. Once they return, I'll be back at school"

"Speaking of school, I should probably get going" Jamie replied, standing once again "I have a lot of homework"

"Aren't you going to kiss me before you go?" John teased, slowly pulling himself off of his covers

Jamie smiled softly and leaned in to her boyfriend. She stretched her arms over his shoulders and entwined her fingers around his neck. John lowered his hands to Jamie's waste and kissed her softly.

"I really missed you" John signed, pulling away from the embrace.

The two made their way downstairs holding hands as Amy busted in through the front door with a bag of groceries in her hand.

"I'm back!" She called, setting the exploding bag onto the floor to remove her coat.

"And I was just leaving" Jamie interrupted, kissing John goodbye. She grabbed her coat, slipped on her boots and left onto the recently snow covered lawn.

"Feeling better?" Amy signed, reaching for her groceries

"A little. Still tired." John replied, following her into the kitchen

"Hey you!" Ricky called, sprinting up from the basement. Ricky entered the kitchen after his son and helped unload the bag Amy had brought in.

"I bought some cans of soup for dinner. I hope that's okay" Amy announced, gesturing to two large cans of chicken noodle soup in her hands.

"Actually Amy" Ricky said hesitantly, eyeing his son "I was thinking we'd eat out tonight"

"Ricky… John just got home. Don't you think he deserves some time to rest?"

"Just trust me on this. Come into the living room. I have something for you"

"For me?"

"Just come" Ricky chuckled, grabbing his wife's hand as he lead her into their living area "Considering we just got married, I thought it would be nice to get away for a couple of day" Ricky said, handing a cruise pamphlet to Amy

"A week long cruise?" Amy balked "Ricky!"

"Our cab is waiting outside. The ship leaves in 4 hours."

"Does John have his things packed?"

"Umm, babe, John's not coming"

"But- but!" Amy stuttered, running over to her son's side as if to protect him from her absence

"I'll be fine Amy" John signed, "You should go. You deserve this"

"Your parents have agreed to take him for the week. Once we get back, he'll go back to school"

"Are you sure?" Amy signed, sympathetically starring at her son

"Yes!" He exclaimed, "Go have fun. I'll see you when you get back"

"I love you" Amy replied, hugging her son

"And I… love… you too"


	20. And New Decisions

**A/N So I hope the sneak peek didn't confuse you too much. Just to be clear, I said it was showing you what was coming in a few weeks, not today. I don't want to confuse anybody. **

**I know I've been away for a very long time but the truth is that school got so crazy and I just didn't have the time to write. Unfortunately, that is going to happen a lot next year as school is only going to get harder. I may need to resort to once a month uploads. I'm sorry guys but that's the way it's got to be if I want to get out all these ideas. Thanks for all the patience and support. I love it so much and am going to promise to work hard this summer to give you the best stories possible! **

**Just to answer some questions, yes, I do make John go between calling his mother Amy and Mom for a reason. It is to show he is conflicted between confronting the truth but he will get there. I promise! As well, whenever John speaks, he is signing unless I actually say he is speaking with his mouth. This will happen until I turn the implant on next week. When he starts hearing, he will always be talking. **

**Don't forget to review and share to twitter and facebook. Follow me at Riverbkstar14 on twitter and watch out for To Save A Life coming August 1****st****!**

* * *

><p>Jamie lay sprawled out across her duvet with her legs crossed in mid air, bopping to the base that escaped the ipod dock sitting on the corner of her desk. She took a pretzel from the bowl next to her history textbook and took a loud bite out of its right side. Squares of crystallized salt fell upon her notebook, sending the young girl into a frenzy to clean them off.<p>

Jamie let go of her pen and watched it fall onto her notepad before it rolled off, landing on her covers. She slowly sat up and took hold of her homework as she swung her legs off the bed. Jamie walked over to the plastic pink trashcan next to her desk chair. She carefully brushed the salt into the container and stood back up, satisfied.

Just then, a loud, unattractive honking from outside her window grabbed her attention. Jamie pushed her ipod to pause and curiously separated the blinds that hung against her frosted windows. Outside on the street stood John, her boyfriend of two months, leaning against a very shiny red convertible with the top down and a grin across his face. Jamie exhaled a warm breath onto the chilled glass and wiped away its condensation. From below, John waved eagerly, encouraging her to come outside.

Jamie held up one finger, responding to John's adorable impatience. She ran out of her room and down her wooden stairs, flying by her mom who was seated at the kitchen island reading a magazine. Jamie grabbed her white winter jacket that hung on the left hook of the coat rack next to the back door and took off for the front of the house. Jamie pulled on her shoes, unlocked the door and swung it open, immediately pulling on her coat as the February winds surrounded her.

John stepped onto his girlfriend's lawn as she ran towards him with her arms wide open. He took her into a warm embrace, twirled her around and put her back firmly on the ground.

"What are you doing here?" She spoke, too eager to sign

John smiled and signed back "I wanted to see you!"

Jamie looked at the car next to John. It was the sports car Alex; his father had left him and the gift he had gotten from Ricky and Amy for his sixteenth birthday. The only problem was that John wasn't able to drive.

"Did you get your license?" Jamie signed, finally calm

"Mhmm!" John replied, nodding his head "That's where he comes in." He signed, gesturing to the older man sitting in the passengers seat. Jamie hadn't even noticed he was there. It was John's grandfather, George. "Ricky and Amy come back today and George figured it would be fun if I could drive them home. He took me for the test and everything this morning. This car is officially mine!"

"That's great honey!" Jamie exclaimed, so thrilled that her boyfriend was finally receiving some independence. He deserved it.

"So do you want to take it for a spin?" He asked, pulling on his leather gloves that hung in his jacket pocket.

"Ofcourse! I just need to tell me mom. Two seconds" Jamie reassured, pecking John on the lips before running back inside.

John smiled at his girlfriend sprinting her way up her driveway and jogged around his car and into the front seat. He shut the door once inside and turned on the ignition before blowing into his hands as he rubbed them together.

"Redee?" John spoke to his grandfather who was waiting patiently

"Ready when you are John" George replied, patting his grandson's knee.

"Sorry about that! We're all set!" Jamie called, hopping over the exterior frame of the car, into the backseat. John flashed his girlfriend a grin, pushed the car into drive, signaled left and pulled out into the road.

* * *

><p>Ricky and Amy sat huddled together in the backseat of their cab. They had just left the dock they had pulled into an hour ago on their cruise ship and were eager to get home and see their son. It had been now four days since John has arrived home after the implant and a full 16 weeks since the accident that brought them all together.<p>

"So is John going to drive us home?" Ricky asked, breaking the silence of the cold car.

"I suppose so." Amy replied, digging into her purse for a lip balm "I mean, we do need to pick him up from my parents house but my dad said he got his license this morning. I think he should get as much practice as possible, its better that way"

"I agree. I can't wait to see him behind the wheel. That is one nice car."

"Do you think we are making the right decision?" Amy answered, apprehensively "I mean he is only 16, his hearing is impaired and four months ago, he had the most traumatizing experience of his life. What is he isn't ready?"

"Hey, hey hey" Ricky sputtered, trying to slow down his wife "John is going to be fine. He has been since the accident. If anything, driving is going to give John independence, not make him need us more. We're doing the right thing here. You can see that, can't you?"

"Mhmm" Amy nodded, avoiding eye contact.

"There was something I wanted to talk to you about but didn't want to bring it up until we got off the boat"

"What is it?" Amy asked, shifting in her seat

"I've been emailing Michelle about adopting. I know we can't have children and I know that is all my fault and I know you want them. She has some young couples lined up and would like us to meet them. We don't need to do it right away or at all, I just thought I would run it by you. I'm ready Amy. I'm ready for this next step"

"I'm so happy you feel this way Ricky" Amy began, choosing her words very carefully "I do want kids and we will definitely find a way to have them. It is just that adopting is a big thing, a really big thing. We have John right now and the adjustment to his hearing. Plus I don't know what he is going to say. I need some time to think it over"

"That's fine. I'm ready when you're ready" Ricky smiled affectionately, leaning into his wife for a kiss. A chime from Amy's purse broke the couple apart. Amy jumped to her left and began rummaging through her bag to find her phone. She breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the device out of one of her many pockets.

"Hello?" Amy spoke loudly into the phone, rushing to make sure the person on the other end didn't hang up.

"Hi" the cheerful voice spoke "Is this Amy?"

"Speaking" Amy replied, watching her husband stir in his seat curiously

"Hi! It's Mandy from Doctor Hill's office"

"Oh Hi Mandy!" Amy greeted, suddenly cheery "What can I do for you?"

"I was just calling to let you know that we are available next Friday, the 24th to have John in to test the implant. He will be meeting with Dr. Quine"

"Next week sounds great. Thank you so much. Err- what time should we be there for?"

"Anytime after 3 is fine with us. You are our last appointment of the day."

"Well we will be there Mandy. Thanks again. Bye" Said Amy, before hanging up the call.

"Who was that?" Ricky asked, contorting his right brow with confusion

"Mandy from the hospital. We can come in on Friday and test the implant. Ricky! John is finally going to hear!"

Ricky withdrew a shaky breath and took his wife into his arms. She squeezed his shoulders with Joy and squealed as they pulled away from each other. Just then, the cab driver pulled into her parent's street, outside of the house where John, his uncle Robbie and girlfriend Jamie were playing with the dog Buddy.

"Lets go tell him the good news" Ricky whispered, stepping out of the cab before holding the door open for his wife.

John caught the tennis ball being thrown his way and swung it over Buddy's head who was contorting his small body to keep up with the flying object. John let out a loud laugh and whipped the ball across the lawn, causing the dog to kick up a pile of fallen snow as he ran after his toy.

John looked towards the foot of the driveway and caught sight of his parents making their way across the icy ground. He jogged over, out of breath from the cold and hugged his father, then his mother.

"Welcome back" he signed, happy to have his parents home again.

"We missed you" Amy signed back through her leather gloves.

Ricky leaned into Amy and whispered into her ear "Tell him". Amy shifted her eyes to glance at her husband quickly, then turned back towards John.

"We have some good news" She began, watching John grow curious just as Ricky always did "Mandy called. We can go in on Friday to test the implant"

"That's fantastic!" John signed, "I can't wait. I wanted to ask if I can go back to school on Monday. Jamie said I have a lot of catching up to do"

"Sure if you think you feel strong enough" Ricky replied

"I do"

"Well then it shouldn't be a problem. Congrats on your license son!" Applauded Ricky as he threw his arm over John's shoulder while walking up the rest of the driveway.

The family made their way inside the house for some hot chocolate and marshmallows. Before it was time to leave, John escorted Jamie out onto the porch of his grandparent's house.

"Tanx fo comeen ova today" John said slowly, completely embarrassed at how his words sounded.

"Hey John" Jamie replied, taking hold of his chin as she always did "You sound beautiful"

"Thankyou" John signed, grabbing onto her hand and kissing it "I wanted to ask you something. I have never had a girlfriend before so obviously I've never done anything intimate. I'm not asking if you have, I just want to know if you see us doing anything like that in the future"

"I wasn't expecting you to bring this up John, but I have been thinking about it. If things stay the way they are, then absolutely, one day I will prove my commitment to you, but we haven't been together that long. I want to make sure we are going to last"

"I fully understand. I wasn't pressuring you. I just wanted to know. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon"

"Thankyou" Jamie signed, moving her head in to kiss her boyfriend. John smirked, moving his hand away from his lap to take a light hold of the side of Jamie's jaw. He caressed her cheek with his thumb as he pursued the lingering touch of her lips on his.

Inside, Ricky hugged his mother in law farewell and shook both Robbie and George's hand before giving his wife a minute alone with her extended family by stepping outside. He noticed John and Jamie going at it on the front step and immediately faked a loud cough to grab Jamie's attention. She pulled away startled and shot Ricky a look of embarrassment.

Ricky smirked and stepped around the couple. He grabbed the bags that he had dumped into the backseat of John's car after exiting the cab and popped open the trunk. He stuffed both travel bags inside, shut the door and hopped into the front seat. John followed, holding Jamie's hand.

"Can we give Jamie a ride home first?" Signed John after sliding into the drivers seat once Jamie was seated in the back.

"Sure. Just wait for your mother. She is inside saying goodbye"

"Thanks for having me over today Mr. Underwood" Jamie said, jumping into the conversation

"No problem Jamie" Replied a nonchalant Ricky who turned his attention towards his son's girlfriend so he couldn't see what he was saying "You are always welcome. However, I can see that you and John have grown quite close recently. I am going to talk to him about it but I expect you to use the same kind of maturity with John that you use in school and with your own family. He is still adjusting and it is going to take some time. I don't think he is ready for anything more than what you two have right now. Is that clear?"

"Crystal"

"Excellent" Grinned Ricky, shifting to once again look over the road from his passengers seat. Amy swung her legs over the frame of the car and seated herself in the backseat next to Jamie before buckling her seatbelt. She lightly tapped John on the shoulder telling him to drive and smiled sweetly at Jamie as her son pulled out onto the road.

Once dropping Jamie off at home, John headed straight for home. With his bags in the trunk along with his parent's belongings, there was no need for any extra pit stops. They were home within five minutes of leaving Jamie's street and pulled into a driveway filled heavily with packed snow.

"John you sure picked a day to test out a convertible" Teased Ricky, unbuckling his seat belt "Put the top up before you shut off the engine"

John waited for his parents to step out of the car and run inside to escape the cold before pulling on the top. He shut the engine, slipped the keys into the pant pockets of his jeans and ran inside the house after his parents.

He followed the light of a chandelier into the kitchen as it was the middle of winter and lights were always on by 5. Ricky was boiling some water in a kettle and pulling out three mugs for what John assumed was more hot chocolate.

"Are we ordering in for dinner?" Signed John, taking a seat at the kitchen island next to his mother

"What do you want?" Amy signed back, gesturing to the bag of marshmallows next to John's right elbow.

John slid the bag over to Amy and shrugged his shoulders "Pizza?"

"Sounds good to me"

"Great. Just come get me when its here. I am going to go unpack" replied John, already standing up

"Umm John before you go –" began Ricky "we wanted to ask you something."

"Okay"

"How would you feel about us adopting a child? A newborn baby infact. Would you be okay with that? Because we can give you more time to get used to the idea. It isn't like this is going to happen over night or anything," Rambled a nervous Amy

"Amee! don't wowee. I'm fyne an okaii wih wuteva yoo wan too do" spoke John before grabbing his mug of hot chocolate and leaving the room, grinning secretly in the hallway at the thought of a new sibling. He couldn't wait.


	21. Do You Hear What I Hear

"So today is the day?" signed Jamie between forkfuls of salad

"Today is the day" Repeated John, sharing his attention between his girlfriend and the list of homework he still had to catch up with. John had returned to school on Monday and was still behind of a ton of stuff. Being away for a week had really put him behind on his studies.

"Are you excited?" pressed Jamie wanting to hear more than just her own words being said back to her

"Why?" asked John, closing his agenda before pushing away his half eaten sandwich. He wasn't in the mood to eat.

"You're not hungry? And I just thought you would be excited about turning your implants on. You are going to be able to hear!"

"No. I'm not hungry and I'm not all that excited. I just want it to be over with"

"Oh come on! You know you're excited. Aren't you at least a tiny bit curious to hear what my voice sounds like?" Flirted Jamie, batting her eyelashes

John chuckled and nodded his head "Okay. Maybe I am a bit curious but you know my mom is going to make a huge deal out of it. She is probably going to film it."

"She's your mom. She is supposed to do those things. Have you started calling her that yet? Or do you still call her Amy"

"I've called her mom a few times now but it just feels so weird."

"Still" Jamie continued, "I think you should now that you are going to be talking instead of signing all the time. You are still going ahead with the speech therapy right?"

"Do you think my parents would let me even consider dropping that? They can't wait to stop signing. My dad especially. He has flash cards and booklets the therapist recommended we look over together as a 'family unit'. Its sickening"

"Well you can't really blame them. Up until 17 weeks ago, ASL was foreign to them. Its a hard language to learn overnight"

"Yea well it isn't like speaking is any easier. They need a reality check. Both of them"

The conversation between the two silenced and John went back to going over his homework. Jamie finished her lunch and packed her Tupperware back into her lunch bag along with her fork. She stood up from her seat next to John and zipped up her backpack, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" John signed, taking hold of her wrist before she got the chance to storm away.

"I am going to class early since sitting here with you is obviously doing me no good what so ever"

"I'll go with you." John replied, standing up

"You haven't finished eating yet"

"I told you." John signed sternly "I'm not hungry"

Suddenly a loud crash from the opposite end of the cafeteria silenced the large room. John continued to pack up his things and didn't notice a crowd of basketball players making their way towards him and Jamie with Brad leading the pack.

"HEY HEARING AID!" Brad shouted, storming right up to John. He took hold of his shoulder and swung him around to face him.

John starred at the bully coolly and turned away, continuing to pack his bag.

"I'm talking to you" Brad continued to shout

"He can't hear you" Jamie replied sternly, crossing her arms as she silently prayed Brad would leave them alone

"You shut up." Brad ordered, pointing fingers at Jamie "John here got me suspended for two weeks and is going to pay"

John read Brad's lips out of the corner of his eye and shot up from his backpack, pushing him away from the table. "Don't talk to her like that!" John signed frantically, beginning to loose his cool

"Get away from me man. Maybe she is the one I ought to be messing with" Snarled Brad, pushing John to the side as he stormed over to Jamie's direction. She turned away and began walking but Brad caught up and took hold of the same wrist John has grabbed moments before only a lot harder.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed, watching John sprint up behind the bully.

"BWAAD!" John screamed, taking the punk's attention away from his girlfriend. Brad let go of Jamie and turned to face John who was winding up a punch. John swung his right fist squarely into Brad's right jaw, causing him to spin around once before falling to the floor stunned with a light drizzle of fresh blood escaping his lip.

"LEEV... MEE... ALONE...!" John shouted angrily. He took Jamie's hand in his and stormed out of the cafeteria, headed for the main office, as he already knew what was going to happen if he didn't.

John waited to see the principle Mr. Conners, who had already befriended John since his transition to Central. John was eventually escorted into his office where he explained what had happened in the cafeteria along with his interpreter's help. Later Coach West and a swollen Brad who was holding an icepack up to his mouth joined him. Brad's mom was called into the school first to find that her son had received yet another two week suspension. This time though, John was also at fault and had Michael call his mom all the way in New Jersey to come and pick him up. His punishment was only a three-day suspension, which included that Friday. John would be back to school on Wednesday.

* * *

><p>After waiting almost an hour for Amy to pick him up, John followed his silent mother to their car parked outside the main entrance to the school. They jumped inside the cold vehicle and sat in silence.<p>

"Aw yoo mad?"

Amy looked at John sternly for the longest time before saying "No. I'm incredibly proud of you. He had it coming for months and I think you gave him exactly what he deserved. However, Mr. Conners suggested I punish you so I'm taking your car away until your suspension is over. You can drive it to school on Wednesday morning. Because you weren't allowed to drive it alone without the implant turned on, a few extra days of being driven is not going to kill you"

"Fine" John signed harshly "But I don't have to like it"

"No one is asking you to. Now, onto the hospital?"

* * *

><p>Amy drove her and her son to the hospital in a disturbing silence and hardly anytime at all since it was the middle of the day and any cars that were normally on the road causing traffic were waiting for the workday to finish. She pulled into the congested parking lot of the hospital, paid for her ticket and found a spot behind the main entrance, next to the ER. The two made their way into the building and took an elevator up to the third floor.<p>

John sat next to his mother in the waiting room, smiling politely at patients and nurses who passed by endlessly. He eventually got bored and decided to pass the time by pulling out his phone, which his mother immediately took away.

"Come on!" signed John aggressively "The car is punishment enough!"

"Obviously not because you haven't changed your attitude since we left the school. What's got you so mad? Are you not happy to finally be able to hear?"

"It's not that Amy."

"Does this have anything to do with our idea to adopt?"

"No no! Of course not! I'm actually excited for that. I'm just nervous this is all going to fall apart. I'll learn to hear and something will go wrong… I don't know"

"Hey" Amy said, patting the hand her son was using to sign, "You are safe now. It's normal to be scared everything around you is going to disappear. You just went through the most traumatic experience of your life where everything around you disappeared. And on top of that, your father and I are taking away the one last thing that truly defines you"

"Wuts that?" he mumbled

"Your signing. We are making you dependant on your ears instead of your hands and its wrong. I'm sorry"

"Its alright. I never said I wasn;t happy about it. I just don't want to get used to this. Our family, school, speaking… just to have it disappear."

"John…" Amy whispered through tears "I'm not going anwhere. None of us are. You are safe. Now, and forever"

"Pwomis?"

"Promise" She said firmly, pulling her son in for a hug. He tightly hugged her back, before being interrupted by her pulling away as a nurse entered the waiting room to call John into a room in the back.

John wiped his eyes and stood up, holding out his hand for his mother who starred at him for a minute from a chair before happily taking his hand and following him into the back hallway.

Inside the exam room, John was seated next to a large desk with a computer and some foreign equipment he didn't recognize. Amy sat across the room in the tight corner on a stool and watched her son affectionately as he waited patiently.

"Sorry I'm late" Spoke a flustered Dr. Quine as she entered the room and sat down in the chair under the desk "I'm Dr. Quine" she said, shaking both John and Amy's hand "Are we ready to start?"

John nodded his head anxiously and looked at his mother who reassured him he would be fine by signing. He smiled and turned his attention to the doctor who was fiddling with her computer mouse.

"Okay John" She said more to herself, as she reached over John's buzz cut to turn on his implant now resting on the side of his head.

"Are you ready John?" Dr. Quine asked slowly.

He took a deep breath and nodded his head, looking at his mother one last time before shutting his eyes closed as if about to receive a needle in his arm. Dr. Quine nodded her head as well then clicked a button on her desk.

John waited in silence, not really hearing anything until a small buzzing noise started surrounding his head. He felt dizzy and nervous but kept his eyes shut anyways. As if in a trance, he heard a faint noise from somewhere in the room. It was his name, being called over and over again. But he didn't know by who because his eyes were closed.

"Open your eyes John" The voice said.

He did as he was told and slowly opened his eyes to find his mother standing next to him, speaking slowly.

"John?" Amy asked once more, starting to fear the implant hadn't worked. John's eyes flashed in her direction and he smiled in awe, finally ready to forget the past and make room for the present. All by one simple word, which he was finally ready to say and say forever.

"Mom?


	22. Are You Ready For This

"Alright men!" Coach West called once the bus home had come to a full stop outside of the school "Great game tonight. That marks our twelfth consecutive win of the season meaning that if we win our next game, we are going to the finals! There is no practice Monday night. See you all Tuesday morning!"

John applauded his coach along with the rest of his team and grabbed his gym bag from the spot next to him. He stood up, careful not to hit his head on the overhanging rack filled with equipment and entered the long aisle that led to the front of the bus. From behind him, John heard his name being called by Brad who had been back at school for over three weeks after being suspended not once but twice thanks to John.

John quickly jumped off the three steps exiting the bus and landed on the curb outside the main entrance to the school. He tried to get a head start towards the parking lot but was pulled by his shoulder from behind. John swung around abruptly.

"Wut do you wunt Bwad? John asked, trying to sound annoyed as possible. Brad has been starring John down in the hallways since his first day back at school and had been acting strange all afternoon. He even offered John a high five at the end of the first period which John had graciously ignored.

"Nothing!" He replied defensively "I just want to talk"

"Tok about wut?" John muttered back

"I don' t know... I guess I just wanted to apologize"

John felt the words smack his face like a ball of snow in the middle of winter... cold and unexpected. He waited for Brad to continue, not sure of what to say.

" I treated you like shit when you first got here and it wasn't right. I guess I was just jealous but after being a jerk for so long, but I realize I wasn't being fair to you"

"Jealous ov me? Wyy?"

"I don't know. You came out of the blue after I had been suspended and everyone kept talking about how great you were. I wasn't about to let some new kid steal everything I had worked for"

"Bud I neva wunted to do dat in de first pwace" Admitted John who was realizing this never ending battle had never even really been about him

"I realize that now. You did nothing wrong and never wanted anything to do with me, I just thought you should know that I'm sorry for all the crap I put you through and that it won't happen ever again."

"I hope so"

"You have my word John"

"Thanx Bwad. Dat meenz a wot" Said John who slowly stuck his hand out infront of him, hoping Brad would reciprocate with a handshake. He did. John cooly looked around the parking lot avoiding the growing awkward silence, slowly realizing that aside from his car, the lot was empty. "Do yoo need a wide home?

Brad lifted his head from watching himself shuffle his feet and smiled softly "Yea I do actually. You wouldn't mind?"

"Nod ad all"

John led Brad to his car and invited him to hop in. John drove Brad home while telling him all about the last few months. Brad hasn't asked to know, John had offered but even so, he listened respectively. Once Brad was inside his house, John drove down to the hospital. He ran in through the ER doors and up the stairs to the third floor as quickly as possible, knowing Dr. Quine was going to be mad if he was late for their therapy session again. She was upset as he had predicted and forced him to stay an extra fifteen minutes before walking him to his car, as it was already growing dark.

* * *

><p>John pulled into the driveway at about 6:15 only to find the trunk to his father's car open with a suitcase inside. He eagerly hopped out of his own car and grabbed his things before running up the walkway into the house. When John entered the foyer, his parents were standing in the middle of the staircase with a large suitcase in between them.<p>

"Gosh Amy!" Ricky complained, straining to lift the heavy object "Why do you need to bring... so much... stuff! We're only going to be gone for three... days!"

"Yes, but three days full of cocktail parties and business meetings... I can't go unprepared!" Amy pouted defensively before noticing her confused son in the doorway speechless "Hi honey!" She called, squeezing in around her struggling husband to run down to her son.

"Hey" He said slowly, reciprocating his mother's hug with one arm as he dropped his bag with the other. "Wuts all dis?"

"Don't you remember John? It's your father's annual business conference in Buffalo. I'm going with him for the weekend"

"No, I rememba... I just dint think it waz dis weekend" John replied, removing his jean jacket to hang over the banister.

"You'll be okay... right John?" Asked Ricky who placed Amy's suitcase on the floor with a loud crash "There" he announced proudly, placing his hands on his hips "Now all I need to do... is bring this to the car"

"You wunt sum help Dud?" John asked, smiling

"Huh? Nah. Thanks son. I'm okay. But what about you? You're going to be okay here all alone?"

"Because we can bring you!" my interjected, watching her husband's eyes light up in fury. She knew his was looking forward to a weekend with just the two of them. It had been six weeks since their honeymoon.

"No. I will be okay. Thanx thoe"

"Great. Its settled then" chirped Ricky, bending down to take hold of the handle on the side of Amy's bag "We just want to remind you.." Ricky said jokingly "No parties"

"Dawn. I waz weewy lookin fowod to dat too" teased John, who was already pushing his parents out the door "Go... hav fun.. I'll be fine!"

"You sure honey?" Amy asked nervously, patting his shoulder

"Yes!" He exclaimed

"Alright" Amy said kissing her son's cheek before turning to run down to the driveway "Stay safe! And lock the doors!" She called as she lowered herself into the passenger's seat of her husband's car.

John waved from his stance on the porch and watched his parents drive away before eagerly removing his cell from the pockets of his pants. He hit number 4 on his speed dial and held the phone up to his ear, waiting for it to ring.

"Hey!" He said, into his cell, turning back into the house "They're gone"

* * *

><p>John sat nervously on the edge of his bed in his dark bedroom, breathing heavily, palms sweating. He glanced to his right and smiled at the girl on his bed.<p>

"Aw you wedy?" he asked, shifting closer to her

She nodded quickly, obviously as nervous as he was. John pursed his lips and shook his head, steadying himself. He slowly took his right hand and slid it across the top of the girls thigh. She drew in a shaky breath which scared John, causing him to take his hand away.

"No John" she mumbled "Its okay"

"No Jamee! Its not!" John spat, leaning across his bed to turn on the lamp resting on his nightstand "I can't do dis! I don no how!"

"Just relax" Jamie encouraged, pushing her hand onto his chest "We can take our time. We have all night. We don't even have to do this at all -"

"No" he said sternly, cutting her off "I wunt to" John took in a deep frustrated breath and ran his hands through his sweaty buzz cut "Just...give me a minut"

Jamie nodded her head in acceptance, fully aware that John was having second thoughts about their having sex for the first time. She suddenly got an idea and leaned over to her boyfriend seductively. She kissed his lips continuously until he began to mirror her movements. She moaned slightly and firmly placed both hands on John's shoulders. His hands instinctively flew to her waste which she pressed against his groan before climbing on top of his own thighs to straddle his legs.

He gripped her waste harder as she moved her hands from his shoulders, up his neck to rest on his cheeks. He leaned his head back to meet her kiss for kiss as she slowly stuck his tongue with her own. Overtime, John felt himself growing hard which brought Jamie back to reality as she began to pull away.

"Do you... umm... have something?" She asked out of breath

John looked at her confused for a moment before getting her hints. "Ohhh!" he said quickly, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a small plastic pack. Jamie smiled and lowered her hands to the bottom of her shirt. She crossed her arms over her stomach and lifted the shirt up and over her head, revealing a pink sports bra.

John chuckled to himself, totally turned on by how sporty his girlfriend was. He noticed her body's reaction to the change in temperature as her arms grew prickly with goosebumps. John laid down with his head against his pillow, starring affectionately up at his girlfriend. John carefully raised his arm to stroke hers, reaching his other hand up around her neck to pull her towards him. She didn't resist and laid down next to him eagerly, continuing on his lips right where they left off.

John broke the kiss to remove his own shirt, winded when Jamie ran her hand across his abs. John pushed his face back up against Jamie's, creeping his hand across her own stomach as he grew harder. John pecked her lips and grinned, stretching his arm to turn off the light before rolling back on top of his girlfriend.

* * *

><p>The next morning, John and Jamie laid underneath his comforter, tangled in each other's arms. Jamie was devoured in one of John's nightshirts that was a faded grey and stretched down to her thighs. Her clothes were thrown all over the room as were John's who was sleeping in a pair of light blue boxers. John blinked fiercely, trying to avoid the bright light from entering his eyes.<p>

Now awake, Jamie shuffled under the covers and stretched, taking in a deep yawn before turning over to John's direction.

"Hey baby" she whispered, unaware John had turned off his implant

He opened his eyes slowly and smiled at the beautiful face smiling back. John eagerly switched on his implant and waited for the usual buzzing noise to decrease.

"Sorry... wut was dat?" he asked,

"Nothing" Jamie shrugged, kissing John on the lips "Last night was fun"

"Fun?" he asked "I was tewwified... bud it was amazing"

"You were amazing John. And I'm not talking about just the intercourse. I mean everything. You were sensitive and caring... respectful of me the entire time... it meant alot. So thankyou" Jamie replied, kissing John once more

"I woodn't hav had it any otha way. Now come on. There is one last thing I feel I need to shoh you befo you leev"

"What's that John?" she asked curiosly, watching John spring up from the bed before pulling her up with him.

* * *

><p>Once dressed, John and Jamie jumped into his car and drove down the street to Starbucks where he treated them each to a breakfast sandwhich and large coffee to go. He then drove out of the drive through and onto a large main road. For the next 20 minutes, John flew down the road with the wind hammering both him and Jamie. He smiled as he held her left hand with his right, this moment was perfect.<p>

John eventually pulled onto a side street and parked on the side of the road next to the walkway leading up to a black gate, followed by a hill and trail.

"What is this place John?" Jamie asked, downing the last of her coffee

John took the keys out of the ignition and slid them into the inside pocket of his jean jacket. He was mesmerized by the sounds of the saturday morning birds chirping away to songs of happiness. He loved being able to hear. John glanced back at Jamie and fought his tears. He slowly pulled his chain out from under his shirt. The chain Jamie had given him for his birthday that carried his father's wedding ring.

"I haven't been here since de funewal. They don't evin no I can hea" John said breaking the silence.

Jamie looked around her, turning in her seat as she slowly realized her surroundings "Are we..."

"At my pawens gwave? Yes. The last thing I hav yed to shawe wid you"

"John I don't know what to say"

"Say you'll meed them? Fo me?"

Jamie starred at John for a while, not sure of what to say or even think. This was just as personal as having sex. Was John ready to become this intimate? "I'd love to" She said sweetly, watching his lips quiver with Joy.

John ran around the side of the car and opened the side door for Jamie, taking her hand as she climbed out. He quietly lead her up the walkway and up the hill of the graveyard, stopping at a large oak tree that sat at the top. He leaned his shoulder against it and took Jamie in his arms.

"They aw wide ova dere" he said, tilting his head to two tombstones side by side. John pulled away from Jamie and walked over to his parents, sitting at the foot of the tombstones. "Hey mom, dad. Sowy I haven come to visit. I've been wewwy twyin to adjust to Wicky n Amy. You did a gud job, pickin dem to be my pawens. I wunt you to know that." John sobbed, tears pouring down his face. He kept going, knowing he had to get this out. It was time. "I wunt you to no dat I fogiv you for leevin n dat fo de longist time I was mad at you for leevin. I loved you gies. You were my everything n one day non ov dat mattad anymo. Im sowwy for causin de axident evin thoe we no I didn wewwy. Wicky n Amy aw gud parens. Dey love me and I just thot you shood no that I love them too. I hope its ok. But they aw my pawens as much as you are. You will always be my mom n dad. Thankyou for everything. Incase you dint no tis, Im tokin now. Wicky n Amy gav me n implant. Its hawd but Im lernin"

John wiped his eyes and turned towards Jamie, motioning her to come. "Dis is my gulfwend, Jamee. She is wewwy smard n she nose sine langije. She is wewwy gwate and I wunt you to no that I love ha" John smiled and buried his head into Jamie's shoulder, allowing himself to breakdown and cry. She held his head against her and soothed him and as sobbed and shook.

From across the graveyard, a short young woman made her way across the trail into their direction. Jamie paid her no attention until the girl was practically leaning on the tree five feet away, starring at the two of them intensely.

"MayI help you?" the girl barked

John pulled away from Jamie and wiped his face with his sleeves, shocked and appalled. He turned to face the voice and felt his jaw drop at the sight of her. She was about six months pregnant and looked like someone else he once knew.

"Ex-excuse me?" John choked

"I'd like to know why you are sitting on my father's grave!"

"Yo fada? Wade... Wut?" John sputtered, so lost and confused. This had to be a mistake.

"Alex Lewman? Wait..." The girl spoke slowly, coming to an awful realization "John?"

"Ye... Wade! WHO EXACTLEE AW YOU?" he screamed, now scared out of his wits end and ready for some answers. Just exactly who was this girl and how did she know his name?

"I'm... I'm Lennox Lewman. Alexander's love child... and you... John Lewman... are what I guess you would call... my brother


	23. Siblings

**A/N I accidentally deleted the sneak peek I gave a few weeks ago so the conversation is going to be slightly different than what you read. Sorry about that! I think I am going to put in another promo only this time, make it a separate chapter so that you can all tell once I update the story to the real chapter. There was some confusion last time. I also have no idea how long adoptions work so bear with me as this one happens really fast! Once again, keep reviewing because your comments make these stories possible. Thanks for all the support. Cannot believe there is only 1 chapter after this before the series finale! Stay tuned!**

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><p>John pulled into Jamie's driveway and turned off the engine momentarily. He drew a deep sigh of frustration and slammed his forehead against the steering who was seated next to him tried comforting him by rubbing his back and when that didn't work, she simply stopped, not sure of what to do to fix this.<p>

"I had beta git goin" John sniffled, sitting up

"So you are going to meet with her?" Jamie clarified, lifting her bag up into her lap

"I don wewwy hav a choyce! I sed I wood meet ha afta dwoppin you at home... I need ansas Jamee... she's my sista"

"Come on John! She is not! From what she told you, she is biologically related to the dad she never knew. The dad who adopted you! You are in no relation what so ever!"

"Still" John mumbled "He was my fada too n on top ov it all, shes pwgnant... wut if she needs my help?"

"Don't do this John... Don't run in and save the day for someone you don't belong with"

"I tink you had beta go. I'll call you wen I get back" John replied sternly, turning on the ignition

"Don't bother" barked Jamie, stepping out of the car in a fury

John waited until his girlfriend was safely inside until pulling out of driveway. He made his way to the starbucks he had drove through just hours before and parked next to the disability parking space right outside the front doors. John pulled on the hood of his car as the forecast had called for rain and ran inside, eager to find the girl from earlier that morning.

Once inside, John unbuttoned his jacket and glanced around the room anxiously. His eye caught the familiar face sitting in the back corner next to the window, drinking a cup of coffee. He waved to her when she saw him and motioned to the long line of customers waiting to place their order. Instead, she shook her head and waved him over.

John obeyed and shuffled across the busy shop, stopping next to her table

"Here" she said, sliding a full cup of coffee his way "I had a giftcard I wanted to use up"

"Thanx... but you dint hav to" John replied, taking his seat across from the girl

"I wanted to"

"Well thanx Ms... err... I'm sowwy, I din get yo last name"

"Lennox" she said flatly "no need for last names. Its Lennox"

"Lennux" John replied shyly, taking a sip of his drink

"Why do you talk like that?" Lennox asked, leaning forward

"I'm def. I got n impwant sicks weeks ago dat helps me here. I am still lernin how to talk"

"Oh..." Lennox replied, sitting back in her seat

"I'm sowwy" John cut in "But can you explane who you aw agen? I'm still a lidel confused"

"I don't see what there isn't to get. Your dad, Alex, slept with my mom 5 months before meeting your mom. My mom got pregnant and had me. Three years later, they got married and a year later adopted you. He never even learned about me until I was five and you were one. By that time, he was already settled down and from what my mom says never even told your mother. He wanted nothing to do with me until my mom passed away when I was eleven and I moved in with my grandma. Then he started visiting me on the first sunday of every month. He said it was because you and your mom..."

"Wood go see symfonees in New York. I fogot about dat. I neva wewwy undastood wy she always took me... now I no wy... my weel mom. So my dad neva told my mom?"

"Nope. He told me a little bit about you... how old you were, when and how you were adopted, but he never said you were deaf. I asked to meet you but he didn't let me... eventually I stopped asking"

"Wy?"

"We grew apart I guess. I went into high school and became seriously involved with dating. In grade 12, I met my fiancé Ryan. Alex hated him... said he was bad news and was going to hurt me in ways I couldn't imagine"

"Fionsay?"

Lennox smiled at John's concern and stretched her stomach forward revealing her protruding baby bump that John had been silently trying to avoid for their entire conversation. "We are still together. He's a really great guy, he just never wanted to wait and well... he happened" she said, rubbing her stomach

"Its a boy?"

"We're naming him Nathan... but we aren't keeping him... I know it will be hard but Ryan and I aren't fit parents and won't be for a long time... Its better this way"

"I'm sowwy... I was adopted... I no how it feews. Can I ask you sumting? How did you hea? About my dad?"

"I was contacted by some lawyer, told that I wood receive a trust fund of 50,000 dollars at the age of 21. Too bad I just turned 20. I could really use the cash"

"I got the same ting only 100,000 since it was from both pawens. I don get it until I'm 21 ida, but I got the car n money from the house"

"Jeez John, no need to rub it in"

"Sowwy"

"I mean it was obvious you were his favourite"

"Wy do you say dat?"

"Easy. He raised you"

"Ye but he isn't my dad. Hes yos. You will always be connected to him in a way I neva will be. Dat is his gwand chid you arw caweing. He neva told me about you and neva welcumed you into our lives. We were both plyed unfairly Lennux but I can't hate him for the mistakes he neva knew he was commitng. None of us can. All we can do is fogiv him and be gwad we had him while he was here. Despite his mistakes, he was a gwate dad"

"I know" Lennox mumbled, starting to cry "Thats why it was so hard to see him go"

John reached his hand across the table and firmly took hold of Lennox's right hand that had started to shake "Ive neva had a sista befo... but the twuth is, is dat I cood wewwy use one. Wut do you say we giv dis thing a chance and onor Alex togetha... as sibwings?"

"Siblings? ... I'd like that... I'd like that alot"

"I have a way to save yo son... but its a long shot and you aw goin to hav to twust me"

"I twust you"

"Gwate"

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><p>A week later, exactly two months since John had come home from the hospital, he sat on his bed bored out of his mind, waiting for Lennox to call. Amy and Ricky were giddy with excitement as their social worker Michelle was coming over with information about possible adoptions. John knew this was his only chance to give them the proposition of a life time. John passed the time by tossing his phone in the air and trying to catch it. He checked the time every few seconds, growing anxious with worry that his sister wasn't going to call.<p>

Yesterday, John had finally told Jamie his plan for Ricky and Amy to adopt Nathan, Lennox's baby. She had forgotten about him deciding to meet with Lennox and hadn't wanted to be in a huge argument just days after having sex. But yesterday's news had put her over the top. She had stormed out of the cafeteria and skipped out on meeting with him in the library after school when she had promised she would. He couldn't tell why she was so mad at him for trying to help Lennox.

Against his better judgement, John dialed Jamie's number and waited for her to answer, totally shocked when she did.

"Hey" he mumbled, worried she would hang up "I'm sowwy about yestaday... I dint mean to upset you but I cant figer out wy you got so mad"

"I wasn't mad at you. I'm mad at her. She has an agenda John and I doubt its to find her baby a home. I think she accidentally bumped into you at the cemetary, saw how amazing you were and thought there was something between you too"

"Wut aw you sayin? Dat my sista... wikes me? Jamee!"

"I'm not saying I'm right and I'm proud of you for helping her out, Just be careful okay"

"I will. So you fogiv me?"

"I forgive -" *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

"Sowwy Jamee, I hav anoda call comin thru"

"Its her isn't it? That's fine. I'll let you go" Jamie said, before hanging up without giving her boyfriend the chance to say goodbye. John scrunched his nose in disgust, thinking of what Jamie had said. His sister... wanting to be more than siblings was ridiculous. John answered the call coming in on his other line.

"Hewwo?"

"Hey John!" the voice called "We'll be there in about ten minutes. Is that okay?"

"Its pefect" John said, sprinting across his bed to look out the window "the sosall woka just pulled up!"

"Great! See you soon!" the voice said before hanging up.

John chuckled at the idea once more. Lennox... wanting to be more than friends... No. It was impossible... Wasn't it? John paced his room a little more until finally hearing a loud car pull up to the curb outside his house. John flew down the stairs taking them two at a time, before pulling on his jacket and shoes to greet Lennox and her fiance.

The two were making their way up the grass holding hands. Ryan was 6 feet tall, athletic like a hockey player. He had black spiky hair and an earing on his right ear. He wore navy blue skinny jeans and a white polo. He was smoking a cigarette. John scowled in his direction, fully aware of why his father had hated him so much, but smiled when he looked at lennox. She was the spitting image of his father. Long dirty blonde hair in thick waves, wearing a brown cardigan under her beige leather jacket. She let go of Ryan's hand and ran towards John, who almost flung backwards when she jumped into his arms for a hug. John watched as Ryan put out his cigarette under his converse sneaker right on their lawn before spitting a wad of saliva a few feet away.

"How aw you?" John asked, stepping away from his hormonal sister

"Great!" she cheered, holding her hand out for Ryan to join them. He waddled over.

"I'm Ryan" he said in a deep voice, sticking out his hand for John to shake before sliding it behind Lennox's jacket, making her squirm.

"Look!" Lennox said, reaching into her pocket "We got a sonogram this morning when we went for our seven month appointment! Isn't he cute?" Lennox whined, showing John the photo. He took it from her and smiled before handing it back to her.

"We had beta get goin" he said quietly, making his way up to the front door "I tink I shood intwodoos Lennux fust... then let dem meet Wyan" John opened the door for the couple and held it open for them as they entered his front hallway. John flipped off his shoes, motioning for the others to follow before taking Lennox's hand in his. He stopped her right outside the entrace to the living room and walked in, nervous as could be.

Amy and Ricky were seated across from Michelle in the living room, going over adoption flyers that were scattered across the coffee table. They all looked up at John as he entered the room.

"Hey guys!" he greeted, clapping his hands together "I hav sumwon I wunt you to meet. Lennux!"

Slowly, Lennox creeped into the room and stood next to John, smiling when he put his right arm around her back for some moral support. Amy and Ricky felt their jaws drop at the sight of Lennox's six month baby bump. Without looking, they grabbed one another's shoulder, scared of what their son was about to say "Mom, Dad... this is lennux and well... were havin a baybee"

Ricky sprung up from his seat, a mad rage of fury. "JOHN!" he cried in disbelief

John let go of Lennox and began to smile... fully aware his parents were going to have this reaction. "No no no! Not weeee" he said, waving a finger between him and Lennox "Us!" he exclaimed, now twirling that same finger in small circles "You guys aw! Lennux is my ... well shes my sista... and she's havin a baybee she cant keep..."

"John" Amy croaked, standing up "Sister? Honey what are you talking about?"

"Alex, my dad, had a baybee wit anoda woman befo meetin my mom. They had a baybee he neva new about. I met Lennux last week at my pawens' cemetery. Her fiance is here and they wanna talk to you about adoptin dere son"

As if on que, Ryan slid into the room and made his way next to Lennox. All three adults moved closer to shake the hands of the young couple, not really sure what to say. John helped Lennox sit next to Michelle on the couch opposite of his parents before standing with his arms crossed next to Ryan.

"So Lennox" Amy whispered, not really sure what to say or how to start "How - How old are you?"

"I'm 20 and so is Ryan. We met senior year at a club and started dating... he proposed to me right after finding out I was pregnant"

"And you said you were John's sister? Alex's daughter?" Ricky mumbled, feeling numb

"That's correct" Lennox replied

"And you're having a boy? Amy asked, starring affectionately at Lennox's stomach

"Yep" Lennox coughed, trying not to cry "He's due June 14th..." but the tears came anyways

"Oh honey!" Amy cried, stepping around the coffee table to comfort the young girl by sitting next to her. Amy pulled her in for a hug "I know this is hard. I went through the same thing but giving him up is the right thing to do. You know that don't you. Now I'm not saying we are this baby's parents but I would be honoured to look into adopting your son. But its not going to be easy and you need to make sure that you are okay with this. Because once you sign those papers... there is no turning back. Believe me... I know"

"I know that" Lennox said, wiping her eyes "And I'm okay with that. I just want Nathan to have a good life. a better life than I know I can provide"

"Well then" Michelle said slowly, embarrassed she had to intervene but aware it was her only chance "We should get started"

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><p>John shook Ryan's hand before watching him head towards his car still parked on the road. Behind him, Lennox was hugging his parents goodbye. Over the course of their 2 hour meeting, Lennox's adoption had been confirmed. It would be a semi open adoption with Lennox and Ryan visiting twice a year and getting pictures sent every 2 months. She would have the baby at the local hospital and sign the papers before handing him over to Ricky and Amy, three hours after birth.<p>

John led Lennox out onto the porch and closed the door behind him

"Thankyou for everything John" Lennox said, pulling him in for a hug "Without you, none of this would have been possible"

"Glad I cood help. Take gud cawe ov my bruda"

"I will" Lennox smiled, before suddenly doubling over in pain. John held her up by the shoulders, concerned.

"Aw you okay?"

"Yea" she said, standing up "He just kicks really hard some times... here" Lennox whispered, grabbing John's hand and placing it on her stomach "Cool huh?"

"Yea" John whispered, amazed yet uncomfortable. He tried to take his hand away but she held it firmly in place, starring lustfully into his eyes. He looked away. Slowly Lennox began leaning into John, making him shuffle backwards. A loud honk from the horn of Ryan's car made Lennox jump and she looked back at her fiance who was sleeping in the front seat, his head facing the sky.

"I had better get going" Lennox mumbled, leaving John alone on the porch. John watched her drive away and sat on the step to his walkway in disbelief. Jamie had been right.


	24. Family

"I cannot believe school is over!" Stated Jamie in disbelief as her and John walked through the bustling mall

"Me neither! I still can't believe its June 2nd today" John replied, taking a drink of orange gatorade

"How many weeks is this?"

"31" John replied, lowering his gaze to the floor. 31 weeks without his adoptive parents... it didn't seem real

"I know its hard..."

"Yea, but it has gotten easier over time and its been even better since I met Lennox" John remarked, watching Jamie's face fall into a stern glare "Oh come on" John said, playfully pushing against her shoulder "We have the same father. You can't expect me to just forget about her"

"I know. I just cant understand why you keep bringing her up. You said you guys haven't talked since the day she met your parents and you also said that I was right about her wanting more than just your help"

"I know I said that, but I still can't help but think I was the one making something out of nothing"

"You weren't. Trust me" Reassured Jamie as the couple entered the food court "I am going to go get us some subs to go. Why don't you grab a table and then if your parents need you back at home, we can eat on the way"

"Well, I know my dad wanted help with the nursery this afternoon but his flight lands from that conference in about an hour. I think my mom is going to pick him up so we can eat here and then leave. Its up to you"

"Whatever. I'll see how I feel after waiting in line. What sub do you want?"

"Whatever you are having" John said, slipping his girlfriend a ten dollar bill. He kissed her cheek and entered the middle of the food court to look for a table. After pacing for a few minutes, John noticed a group of girls leave a small yellow table near the exit next to the McDonalds and jogged up to grab it before someone else could. He sat down in one of the three chairs and picked up the remaining straw wrappers those girls had left behind.

After turning to his left to throw out the garbage, John noticed a familiar face making her way through the food court.

"Lennox!" John called out, standing up from his seat. Lennox heard her name but didn't know where the sound was coming from. John waved his arms over his head and called his sister's name again, smiling when she realized it was him. Lennox walked over to John's table and gave him a hug before placing a bag of baby clothes on the table. "What are you doing here?" John asked, inviting Lennox to take a seat across from him

"I had some time to kill and thought shopping for Nathan would be fun. I was actually going to stop by your house later and give them to your mom. She said Richard is doing the nursery today?"

"I was supposed to help but he is coming back from a conference in California. My mom is at the airport waiting for him. Is Ryan with you?" John asked, peeking behind Lennox and around the room

"Nooo" Lennox said quietly "We actually broke up. Something about how he was only marrying me because of the baby and since there isn't going to be a baby for much longer, he decided to end it"

"I'm sorry Lennox" John apologized "I hope I didn't have anything to do with it"

Lennox scrunched her nose in confusion "Why would you have had anything to do with it?"

"I don't know. When you were at my house that day, I kind of got the feeling you wanted to be more than friends... I wasn't going to bring it up... but"

"No. You were right John. I was sending signals but it was stupid. I guess I just got caught up in it all. Here I was, all alone, about to be a teen mother when suddenly you showed up and made it all go away"

"I'm happy I could help.. but"

"But you are with Jamie and I am your sister whos four years older. I get it John. Don't worry. Sorry I ever put you in this position. Truce?"

"Truce" John laughed, taking his phone out of his pocket "Jamie sure has been gone a while"

"Sorry!" A voice called from behind John "That line was insane!" John turned around to get a better look at his flustered girlfriend who was making her way towards him, carrying a tray of two submarine sandwiches and a tub of fries

"Don't worry" John reassured, standing up to give Jamie a hand. John slid the tray onto the table and pulled back Jamie's chair allowing her to sit down

"Ohhh... Hi Lennox!" Jamie greeted, trying to sound as happy as possible "You're here! I wish I would have known, John could have given me some money for you"

"Oh no..." Lennox said defensively "Don't feel bad. I was just leaving. I have a bus to catch anyways. John, is it okay if i leave these clothes with you?"

"Yea, no worries" John replied, unwrapping his sandwich "but you shouldn't have to take the bus. I can give you a ride home"

"No no" Lennox repeated, denying the offer as she stood up, holding her big belly "I should... really... get... going"

John watched as Lennox, now standing, leaned into the table in pain "Lennox..." he said slowly, in between a bite of food "Are you okay"

"No!" Lennox cried "I think I'm going into labour!" Suddenly a loud sound of rushing water exploded from under the table. Both John and Jamie sprung up from their seats and grabbed hold of Lennox who had now gone pale with fear

"Don't worry Lennox. We're going to get you to the hospital" Jamie soothed, brushing the girl's bangs out of her face. John handed over his things to his girlfriend who was grabbing her purse and took hold of the bag of baby clothes in the middle of the table. John pushed his hand behind Lennox's back and led her away from the table and towards the exit with Jamie following behind.

In the car, Lennox sat in the back seat, writhing with pain every four minutes.

"I read online somewhere that once the contractions are four minutes apart, you need to go to the hospital" John shouted over the loud winds as he switched lanes. "Jamie, I need you to time them for me. And call my mom. Tell her we are going to the hospital" John ordered, handing his phone over to his girlfriend seated in the passengers seat

Jamie did as she was told and hit number 1 on her boyfriend's speed dial. After three rings, his mother answered, calling his name.

"No Mrs. underwood. It's Jamie. John's driving to the hospital. Lennox ran into us at the mall and shes gone into labour! John needs to know how long its going to take for you to get here... Mhmm... okay I'll tell him. Thanks! Bye!"

"What did she say?" John shouted, after hearing the phone call die "She said your dad's flight has been delayed another five hours and there is a really bad traffic jam leaving the airport. She doesn't think there is any point in coming all the way back home just to leave again. She wants you to call her when we are at the hospital. You may need to do this on your own"

John flashed Jamie a look of pure fear. He wasn't sure if he could handle this at all, let alone without his parents there to support him. A loud scream from the back of the car brought John back to reality. "Hang in there Girl!" he called "We are almost there!"

John changed lanes again and began signaling for entrance into the hospital's parking. He flew around the ER entrance and took out a 20 dollar bill. "Here" he said, handing the money over to Jamie "Park this for me. I'm taking her inside"

Jamie did as she was told and slid into the driver's seat once John was out of the car. He ran around to the car's right and helped Lennox out of the back seat. He watched Jamie pull away from the curb before leading his sister inside the busy hospital. John sat Lennox in a chair next to the admittance desk. The nurse directed him to the second floor. John grabbed a wheelchair from an orderly passing by and helped Lennox inside of it before pushing through to the elevator.

Once on the second floor, John waited for Lennox to be admitted after being examined by her doctor first. He was eventually invited inside of room 207 where he found his sister on a hospital bed next to the window, wide awake.

"John" she called, stretching her hand towards her brother.

John walked over and sat down next to Lennox, taking hold of her hand "Hey. How are you feeling now that you are lying down?"

"It hurts. And they said I'm too far along for any drugs. Nathan is coming way quicker than expected. What if something is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I'm positive. Just hang in there. Can I call anyone for you?"

"I told you!" Lennox cried, squirming with another contraction "Both of my... parents... are dead! And my grandmother... is in a ...nursing home! Where are your mom and dad... anyways!

"My dad's flight was delayed. They are going to come as soon as it lands. I just don't know when that will be"

"I'm scared John"

"Me too. I'm going to go out in the hall and try to find your doctor. These contractions are getting really close together"

"Don't leave!" Lennox cried, as John stood

"I'll be right outside" he whispered, stroking her bangs away from her forehead before leaving the room. John found Jamie seated right outside the room and gave her a big hug. "Thank you" he whispered, holding her tighter

"How is she?"

"Scared, hurt, alone, tired... Same as me"

"You are going to be fine. Both of you"

"I know" John replied, kissing Jamie's forehead "But I can't have you waiting around forever. Take a cab home" he said, stuffing another 20 into Jamie's palm

"I want to stay here with you" she replied

"This could take hours. Please... just to make me feel better... just go home. I'll call you as soon as something happens"

Jamie nodded her head and took the money, pulling her boyfriend in for one last hug before she left. John waited until she was in the elevator before finding the doctor who said everything was fine.

John shuffled back into Lennox's room exhausted and sat on the couch on the other end of the room.

"What did he say?" Lennox whispered, starting to drift off

"He said everything is fine and that when he has the chance he'll be in to check on you"

"Thanks" Lennox whispered

"For what?" John replied, laying down

"Being here"

Over the next few hours, doctors were in and out of Lennox's room. Her contractions would speed up then slow down. However she was always too far along for any medication which made John's job very difficult as he was the only one in the room with his sister when her contractions hit.

"John..." Lennox puffed, her face red and sweaty "I think this is it!"

"No Lennox!" John argued, patting her with a damp cloth "You said that before. The doctors said it wasn't time"

"Well now it is! Please! Go and get the doctor!"

John did as he was told and left the room, swearing under his breath. He heard his name being called from across the wing and saw his parents running towards him. He immediately lit up and jogged in their direction, greeting them with one big hug each.

"Am I ever happy to see you!" John exclaimed, pulling away from his father

"How is she?" Amy asked

"How far along is she?" Ricky asked

"Did she get an epidural?"

"Did she -"

"Guys!" John shouted over his parent's questions "She's doing okay. The doctors think it will be soon but when we got here, it was too far along so she never got the epidural. It's been hell"

"We can take over for a while" Amy replied, rubbing her son's arm affectionatly

"John!" a nurse from the doorway to Lennox's room called "Its time. She's asking for you"

"Its time" John announced, raising his eyebrows and clapping his hands together, ready for the worst.

"Do you want us to go in with you son?" Ricky asked

"No...I want to do this by myself. I need to. Just wait out here. I guess I'll be back shortly with your son"

"We're so proud of you" Amy whispered, choking on her tears as she kissed her son on the cheek and sent him off.

John jogged back into the room and walked over to Lennox who was tossing and turning in pain. He took in a deep breath and grabbed her hand. She shot him a terrified glance which he replied to by closing his eyes and nodding his head. Lennox knew she had to do this.

The doctor starting counting down from ten, and kept telling Lennox to push harder and harder. Her face was a tomato red and John's hand was bruised and sore. But they kept pushing. Both of them. And on the final contraction, where Lennox kept saying she couldn't go any longer, it happened. And the cries of a brand new baby boy filled the room. Without even realizing it, John started to cry and watched in awe as the nurses cleaned off his new baby brother.

Nathan was wrapped in a blue blanket and weighed before being handed off to his mother for the very first time. Lennox sat up in her bed and held Nathan in her arms, sobbing.

"John..." she whispered "Look at him"

"He's beautiful" John whispered back, sniffling

"Do you want to hold him?"

John nodded his head and carefully took the small bundle out of his sister's arms. "Hi Nathan" he whispered, looking at this small baby with a few strands of black hair and a perfectly round head. The door to the room opened slowly as Ricky and Amy made their way inside. Both parents started to cry at the sight of their son holding their newest addition.

"Hello there Nathan" Amy said quietly, walking up to John "Can I hold him?" John nodded his head and passed over his baby brother to his mother who took her son in her arms and kissed his head gently "Ricky... Look!" Ricky walked over to his wife and wiped his eyes before holding his son's hand in his.

"He is amazing" Ricky said breathlessly, looking up at John "You did a good job son"

"Thanks" John replied, watching his mom hand Nathan over to his father. John walked over and leaned his head on his mother's shoulders.

"Welcome to our family little guy" Ricky whispered

"Welcome to the world" John answered back


	25. Second Chance

**A/N The song used at the end is by Faber Drive entitled Second Chance. I changed a few of the lyrics and only included about three verses. The song does not belong to me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Five Months Later<strong>

"Come on Nathan" Amy cooed, shoveling the plastic spoon into the jar of apple sauce "Just one more bite sweetie!"

Nathan let out a loud cackle and brought his hand up to his mouth, smearing the sauce that rested on his chin. Amy took in a deep sigh and placed the jar of baby food on the counter before grabbing a wet cloth to wipe her son with. Just then, her husband Ricky entered the room with a box of pizza balancing a large slab of vanilla cake.

"Food's here" Ricky called, sliding the platter onto the counter "Morning gorgeous"

"Hi" Amy replied, frustrated "Are people here yet?"

"Not yet" Ricky responded, folding his arms around his wife from behind "But I don't want you to worry about that. I know you want to make today special but you need to make sure our baby girl stays healthy" He said, turning Amy around so that he could see her five month bump

Amy giggled and pulled her husband up so they were at eye level "Of course I want today to be special. Its the one year anniversary since John came to live with us"

"And speaking of John... you haven't told him the gender yet have you?"

"Of course not Ricky. He's still getting over the fact that you undid your vasectomy a week after Nathan was born"

"Do you think he will like the name we chose?"

"Lia Underwood? How could he not? I just don't want to tell anyone until tonight"

"I promise. Your secret is safe with me" Ricky said in a quiet tone as he leaned in to kiss his wife. Pulling away, he saw Nathan throw his on the floor and leaned down to pick it up "And as for youuuuu. Mister! Lets go see where your big brother John is" Ricky exclaimed, picking his son up from his highchair, into his arms.

"John's downstairs with Luke! Don't bother him!" Amy called after her husband, chuckling to herself when he playfully waved her away with his hand.

"That was perfect!" John shouted in Luke's direction, standing up from his drum set "I have to say, we really have gotten good"

"Eva since you starded heewing" Luke retorted, snorting at his insult

"Hey!" John snapped, trying not to laugh "I was pretty good before I got the implant!"

"Suwe... Pwetty awful"

"John!" Ricky called, hammering his way down the steps "I need you to take care of your brother. I need to grab a shower before people start arriving"

"Sure thing" John said, putting down his drum sticks to take Nathan from his father "Come here buddy" he grunted, shifting his weight "We were just finishing up"

"Cool" Ricky replied, heading up the stairs "Oh and John? Try to see if your mother needs help with anything. I don't want her working too hard"

"Okay" Agreed John "But dad? I need to ask you something... was I a bad drum player? Before the implant?"

Ricky starred at his son for a moment before gesturing to the baby "I think he needs to be changed" And with that he ran up stairs

"Very Funny!" John called out, jostling his brother in his arms. The three boys made their way upstairs and into the living room where Amy was setting out a tray of veggies.

"I'll do that mom. You don't have to"

"Thanks honey, but you have Nathan. Plus I don't want to give your father total control over both of us"

"I don't know what your talking about" piped John just before the doorbell rang

"You want to help me? Answer the door. I'm going to get changed" Ordered Amy as she left the room

John balanced Nathan in his left arm and walked out of the living room towards the front door. He peeked through the side curtain and opened the door with a smile, greeting his girlfriend with a huge hug.

"Hey babe" he said, pulling away

"Morning. I hope I'm not too early. The Evite said 11:30 - 2. Its only 11"

"Don't worry about it" John reassured, closing the door behind Jamie before handing his brother off to pull on his shoes "Here. You can be on baby duty. I need to go get him a fresh diaper"

"Why are you going outside?"

"Because... my dad makes me carry all the groceries inside... and always forgets to remind me where he puts the diapers since the trunk doesn't hold food and baby accessories. Its a small car... but they should be in the back seat. I'll be right back" John said, kissing Jamie's cheek before stepping out into the mid morning November air.

A year ago, John never would have imagined his life was about to take such a drastic turn for the unexpected. Just in the last five months, everything had changed. Luke and John were up for a record deal with a local radio station and had been practicing non-stop. Brad had met Lennox at John's house the first time she came over to visit her son and they were now a couple. Jamie was over almost all the time helping with Nathan.

John felt like the luckiest guy in the world. His hearing felt as close to perfect as possible. He now said practically every word clearly and only signed when at school. John had gone back to Spark Academy in September. Now that he had a car, he didn't need to be driven or take a bus and didn't need to worry about his basketball team's fate now that Brad was back on the roster with a way better attitude.

As for his parents, they were another story all together. Ricky had surprised everyone with the news that he had removed his vasectomy while Nathan was still in the hospital. Within a couple of weeks, Ricky and Amy were pregnant. John still hand't found out the sex of the baby even though he knew his parents knew and had probably picked out a name already. John was hoping for a sister.

As John made his way to his car, a blue truck pulled up next to the curb. Lennox jumped out of the passenger's side with Brad trailing close behind. "Johnny!" she called, giving her brother a hug

"Hey sis" John chimed, hugging back. He pulled away and unlocked his father's car, reached into the back seat and took out a pack of diapers "Care to bring these in?" John asked, handing the pack off to Lennox

She stomped her feet with excitement and squealed "Is he here?"

"Right inside. Jamie is with him"

"Come on Brad!" Lennox called, taking her boyfriend's hand as she ran inside the house, excited to see her baby boy.

From across the street, John made out his grandparents and Uncle making their way towards the house. John jogged across the lawn to meet them and hugged both grandparents before high fiving Robbie.

"How are you holding up Son?" George asked, patting his grandson on the back

"Okay I guess. Its been hard since today marks one year but Im making due"

"Glad to hear it. Where's your mother. We haven't seen you guys since Nathan was two months old. She said she had an announcement to make?

"You bet she does. But I'm going to let her tell you" John laughed, leading his grandparents up the walkway inside.

Inside the house, everyone was gathered in the living room. Lennox was bouncing Nathan on her lap while Brad fed him some cheerios. Jamie and Luke were lost in conversation and Robbie had found his place at the coffee table, munching on snacks.

Ricky made his way into the room and clapped his hands, ready to make an announcement.

"Okay everyone. Thanks for coming today to celebrate the one year anniversary of John coming back into our lives. Unfortunately, my parents can't be here today due to vacation and John's aren't here either. But it is because of them that we have this amazing son and for that I am eternally grateful. We would like to start things off with a little announcement and then we will break for pizza and cake in the kitchen. Amy!" Ricky called behind him and waited for his wife to make her way into the living room.

Everyone besides Amy's family knew about the baby. Anne, George's and Robbie's response was priceless as they all gasp in shock at the sight of a pregnant Amy. Anne ran over to her daughter and hugged her, followed by George. Amy wiped away her tears and opened her mouth to speak.

"Now that everyone knows that we are expecting, we'd like to tell you all what we are expecting"

John turned his attention towards his mother and picked up a squirming Nathan from Lennox's lap.

"Her name is Lia Underwood... and she is due March 10th, 2013"

The room exploded into cheers as everyone clapped and applauded the news of a new baby girl. Everyone lined up to congratulate the expecting parents. John was last and gave his mother the biggest hug possible.

"I'm so happy for you guys" he said

"Thank you son" Ricky replied "but we wanted to let you know that we are sorry. Sorry for ever letting you go. And we want you to know how grateful we are that you have given us a second chance"

"I wouldn't have had it any other way. I love you guys!" John said before pulling his parents in for another hug.

* * *

><p><strong>John's POV <strong>

I can't remember exactly who, but someone grabbed a camera and took our very first photo as a new family. And now, two weeks later, I sit here in the living room with Nathan on my lap starring at the picture that now hangs over the mantle where the picture of my parents and me on the day of my birth used to hang.

As I stand to bring Nathan up to my parents who are getting ready for bed as its almost ten at night, I hear it. I hear it for the first time and hopefully not the last. My song. The song I wrote the day after turning on the implant. Maybe one day, i'll be as fortunate to be to someone else what my parents have been to me. But until then... I'm happy being me.

Instead of holding you, I was holding out. I should've let you in, but I let you down. You were the first to give, and the first to ask. I'm in the perfect place, to get a second chance.

My last mistake, putting myself first. I tried to laugh it off but I made things worse. You were the first to give, and the first to ask. But I'm in the perfect place, to get a second chance.

What you give is always what you get. There's so much I haven't given yet. If you could give another second chance.

* * *

><p><strong>AN This is it guys! I really hope you enjoyed the story. I know I did! In one week's time, my brand new story 'To Save A Life' comes out and I guarantee you all are going to love it! I've been seeing quite a bit of comments complaining about how the story line and level of writing have decreased in the past few chapters. I would just like to apologize for this. I really wanted to get this story done and I was so caught up in all my other stories, I feel that this one took a hit. I also think majority of the readers liked John deaf instead of speaking but I felt the only way for him to really grow as a character was to learn to talk and hear. Aside from the past few chapters, I really really hope you enjoyed 'Second Chance' and I hope you will continue to review and read my other stories because I have a lot better and I promise that if you give me a chance, my writing is only going to improve!**

**Thanks again to all my readers and supporters. Your constant support means so much!**


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